For August 30th:

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. “ 1 Peter 5:10-11 (NIV)

RESTORATION

Shortly after I moved here from Atlanta, I met another woman who was also a transplant, from up north. Despite our differences, we became fast friends and shared a deep and honest relationship. She was also a Christ follower of a different denomination, and we had many a lively conversation about spiritual matters.

After a few years, our friendship seemed to be off-track. Commitments were made and broken, feelings were hurt, and my friend seemed distant and disconnected sometimes. After suffering much disappointment at this loss, and several failed attempts at reconciliation, I finally felt like I had to let the relationship “go”. This was difficult for me, but I felt, on some level, there was nothing else I could do.

About a year ago, this dear friend approached me about the joy of our former friendship and the distance that had developed between us. Although I still had my concerns about being hurt again, I agreed to meet with her one afternoon to talk things over. As we discussed what had happened between us, my friend revealed that she had been dealing with some depression and, not knowing how to talk about it, had pulled away, not just from me, but from a lot of people in her life. We prayed together at my kitchen table that day, and God restored our friendship. Today I have released a lot of the expectations I had about her, and I am thankful for every opportunity God gives us to enjoy each other.

During the time when I felt like there was “nothing else I could do”, God was working in my friend’s life. Rather than get in there and try to fix or help her myself, I needed to get out of the way and just love her from afar. Sometimes, the best thing we can do for our friends is to sit alongside them, like Job’s friends, and be present, but silent.  I wish I had been a better friend during her time of trial. I thank God for the restoration of our friendship and for the lessons learned about love.

Stephanie Pearson