What’s 3000 Miles Between Friends?
There are two kinds of friends.
One who you expectantly bring through the front door and one who unexpectedly shows up and pops right through the garage door. I will explain, but before I do I feel like I must assure you that sometimes the front door is just closer, easier, and more accessible. Just because you have come in through my front door, does not make you a “front door friend.” Ok…let me explain…
We all have “front door friends.” You know the ones. They are expected, planned. You rush around the house hours beforehand making sure that everything is tidy and in it’s place. A well-presented snack is prepared and hopefully everyone on the homefront is completely ready to behave themselves. The guest arrives and you truly have a splendid time, but when they leave you let out your breath (that you didn’t even realize you were holding), and you thank the Lord that at no time did you stick your foot in your mouth, and at no time did the children embarrass you. Immediately, you change into your comfy clothes and proceed to relax, probably for the first time that day. TRUTH! Right?
Now for the “garage door friends.” These ones are rare. For whatever reason you just click, you get each other, no doubt kindred spirits. They arrive unexpectedly and don’t even knock. They waltz in through the garage door, directly into your kitchen and instead of being stricken with panic, a smile lights up your face. You don’t care that it seems like a gorilla has tromped through every room of your house or that you are standing there at 2pm still in your yoga pants. You know that they will see what needs to be done and instantly lend a hand. She pulls the dark chocolate out from her bag, gives half to you, and jumps right into the biggest problem of the day, even if that means she just caught you in a PMS rage that may or may not have included an axe. When she leaves you feel a little lighter, the tasks before you seem less daunting, and you breathe easy knowing you are deeply loved, not only by her but by a Heavenly Father that would send you such a dear gift.
Two days ago one of those “dear gifts” moved 3000 miles away. I won’t lie. I’m sad. There is a little hole in my heart right now. Although I know we will always be friends the dynamic will, of course, change. But I’ve been through this before. This ain’t my first rodeo. I know in my heart of hearts that God is doing some more of that character building…that we all love so much! He’s opening up each of us for a little more dependance on Him. The fact is, from God’s perspective when life is hard is exactly when you are more blessed. He draws you into deeper pockets of contentment; intertwines your heart with His until you can’t explain the peace you feel. The hard doesn’t go away, but He makes it bearable. Be careful, you might even find yourself rejoicing. That’s how big our God is. That’s how I know the 3000 miles that now separates my friend and I is not the part I need to dwell on. It’s the fact that because of this we will each grow in ways that we couldn’t have otherwise. I’ve seen it before and I can’t wait to watch it happen again.