friendships, the really good kind, are sometimes the grace that God uses for today. But it’s also grace from yesterday and for tomorrow, too. The grace from yesterday is the history we have with friends – shared memories to laugh over and to help us through the awkward moments that might come in the todays. And the grace for tomorrow is the hopeful expectation that the friendship will continue to be a source of joy and hope and peace for many tomorrows.
i came to Ukraine a bit exhausted – and thus, anxious and irritable. My friend, Csilla, who i helped this week with teaching, has had a difficult year trying to help the school in the aftermath of the church splitting and staff leaving (she was one of the few teachers who stayed while everyone else left), has been overwhelmed with things to do, and has been asking some difficult questions about how to serve God faithfully lately. So, we spent a week kind of working together but mostly bumping against each other with a few moments of joy and more moments of non-connection. And both of us spent time praying and wondering what happened to the delight and joy we’d shared back in December when we’d last been together.
And then Friday after a lot of time together, some laughter, and much prayer, we had time to be honest with each other – and about how things really were going in our lives. and the joy and delight returned. and has stayed :)
and this week has reminded me again of the gift of friendships. and of how God uses them to show us his grace and to help us to laugh and remember the way life should be. for not only did God protect and help Csilla's and my friendship, i knew that i could reach out to other friends for help and advice (and did) and when a friend reached out to me, i tried to encourage as much as i could.
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