hey there!
have been thinking a lot about friendship this week. i’ve caught myself just looking around & thanking God for each of my friends here. & i keep catching people getting weepy about goodbyes (pretty evident when people look at you & start tearing up). all of this obviously makes sense, the whole looming presence of the end being so near & all, but it doesn’t make it any easier. been asking God what it looks like to find the tension of letting them go & holding them close to my heart.
our love & connection as a church is deep & wide. like God’s heart for us is.
i’ve constantly had to remind myself not to be selfish when i consider my gap c friends though. in my perfect lil plan i would load up my college backpack with them all in it. can you imagine how fun & filling it would be to have 23 close, deep, beautiful, friends walking around on your campus? as cool as it sounds, i know with certainty in my heart that God wants to spread this church out far & wide cause He has big kingdom ambitions for them. & they carry life changing hearts guys. that plan is wayyy more beautiful than my little one. all these little fires are about to strike & stoke some big big flames. & dang that’s cool.
am i still sad about the goodbyes? mhmmm. definitely a yes. the proximity is something i’ve been grieving for a while now, but i also carry SO much hope for the all the kingdom our lives will push. & there’s a lot of fullness & goodness in that.
“Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy, for good friends are the like the anointing oil that yields the fragrant incense of God’s presence.” Proverbs 27v9
to my gap c friends,
thank you for teaching me so much about what it looks like to be a good friend. in you i see so many actions that speak to the character of Jesus & how He values friendship.
you’ve taught me how to love without reservation. how to listen & show up & sit with people (even when that looks like coming with only a shoulder & no solutions). how to have real, authentic conversations. how to seek understanding & truth. how to live in a posture of worship together. how to be with people & simply enjoy being with them. really just how to be more like the friend Jesus is.
thanks for pushing me a little closer. i’m really grateful for you & your hearts.
much love,
erika
p.s. thanks for also understanding that my love for you does deeper than i can convey in words or pictures. okay, i love you. bye now!
