If a part gets scary...

I've been thinking a lot about friends lately.

Recently, Mattie had her little friend, Winnie, over for a play date and they were determined to watch a movie. Winnie had a selection picked out but Mattie wasn't so sure because she said there is a scary part that she doesn't like. As these two fun-loving friends climbed up into the chair to sit "like two peas in a pod" side-by-side, Winnie (the sweet friend that she is) informed us both that, "If a part gets scary, I'll just cover her eyes." I immediately wrote that down cause it really struck a cord with me.

That's what friends do for each other sometimes. When a part of life is scary or hard or frustrating or even just plain mundane, a friend can often love you right back to a place where you know you can make it through.

And last night I was reading in Exodus and came upon the part (in Chapter 17:8-16) where Joshua was leading the Israelites in a battle with the Amalekites and, as long as Moses held his hands up in the air while holding the staff of God, the Israelites were winning.
When Moses grew tired, Aaron and Hur brought him a rock on which he could sit and held his hands up, so that his hands remainded steady until sunset and Joshua won the battle.

Did God say, "No, no, that's cheating. Moses must do this alone."? No, and I believe God created us to need friends for a reason. Sometimes we get tired. Tired of our circumstances. Tired of being stuck inside because of snow and ice. Tired of laundry. Tired of being tired. And at just the right time, in just the right way, a friend will bless us with words of encouragement, a laugh, or even a chance to cry on their shoulder. It's one of the best ways that God shows his faithfulness to us...through the love of a friend.

God created me to be a very social being. I really enjoy spending time with friends but during this season of my life, there is not always a lot of time for that. I struggle with that. But lately I've been blessed with lots of "friend time" and have enjoyed the opportunity to laugh and be silly and "chat it up" with some dear ones. And boy, it's done my heart good:)

I've been blessed in so many ways, by many different friends...coffee nights, an encouraging card or email, meals for those crazy days in which making supper seems almost impossible, helping out with the kiddos, and sometimes something as simple as an, "I know exactly what you mean. I struggle with that, too." I'm so grateful for the friends that God has placed in my life. Even though this season of life requires me to focus mainly on my family of seven, I pray that if life gets scary for a friend, that I can be the one to "cover her eyes."


Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
Ecclesiasties 4:9-10