About A Friend

I have a friend whom I love dearly.  We haven’t known each other for that long, but it feels like we have been sisters forever.  When we first met, I knew immediately that we connected on a deep level and that I loved her as a sister.

The reason I am writing about my friend is that I don’t think she knows how amazing she is.  Actually, I KNOW she does not know how amazing she is.  It tears me up inside to think of this because she is clueless to how special she is.  The enemy has her convinced she is a mess and no good.  I have tried to tell her it is not true, that she might look messy, but deep down she is amazing.  She won’t hear of it.  So I pray,  only God can really convince us we are special and amazing.

When I do try to speak truth about her, she so quickly dismisses it.  Seeing as how she won’t listen to me and shuts me down when I try and tell her, I am going to write.  At least I’ll feel better.

I can’t hardly type it without the tears flowing, that’s how much I love her and how amazing she really is, ya’ll.

She has lived a painful life.  The deep kind of heart pain.  Recently, the deep, festering wounds were ripped open raw by a betrayal.  She has done all she knows to survive all these years, and it has been hard and painful.

Because of the circumstances in life and the ripple effect, she doesn’t see the gifts and strengths that the Lord has given her.

She doesn’t see just how incredibly strong and resilient she is.  She doesn’t see how deeply she loves her children.  She thinks she is an awful mama.  Trust me, I know her children well.  It takes a good mama with a tender heart to raise children like that!

She gives and gives and gives, all day, every day.  I watch her sacrifice so her children can do the things they do.  I’m not sure I have that much ‘give’ in me, if I am being honest.

While our lives are so, so busy, she would drop everything to meet a need I had.  When we talk, she so listens, understands and always tries to help me.  She is such a good friend; she truly cares.  You know what it’s like when someone really listens as if they are hearing your every heartbeat, right?  Well, that’s her.

Her eyes have a sadness about them, but they are open windows to her heart.  When I share my heart, she leans in and with her beautiful eyes takes in all I am saying.

Her children ADORE her.  That alone says a lot, I think. 

When I look at her I see beauty.  She sees frump and wrinkles. I see strength and warmth and love and acceptance and understanding.  True beauty.

I am not sure why it hurts my heart so much, to know the way she thinks.  I wonder if it is because I see so much of myself in her thoughts.  I am angry, so angry at the enemy for lying to her all these years.  I just want to grab her by the shoulders and say, ‘YOU ARE AMAZING!’.  I want to tell her to stop listening to the lies and start believing the TRUTH about how God sees her.  I want to rip off those stupid glasses that make her see the yuck and give her some glasses that let her see the Truth!

Here’s the sad thing, though, I would imagine that many of these same things could be said about you.  Oh, that we could all see ourselves through His eyes!  If we could imagine Him cupping our little faces and saying, “I love you, My child.  You are precious in My sight.”  How it must grieve His heart to have us down here hating so much about ourselves, our lives.

Lord Jesus, heal your daughters’ hearts.  Open our eyes to the Truth of how much You love us.  Shatter the lies, break the shackles in our minds.

Isaiah 61

¹The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

²To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

³To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

⁴And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

⁵And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

⁶But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

⁷For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them