A Letter to a Friend

To My Friend:

I miss you.

I miss the person you were.

I'm scared of the person that you've become.

I miss you.

The old you.

When I see you in person, I smile. I'm happy to see you. Honest. But sitting behind the computer screen where the life you really live is displayed....

I'm petrified.

Scared. To. Death.

I can't stand seeing you grasp the world. I love you too much. Honest.

I love you.

The old you.

In all practicality, I still see you as the girl I knew four years ago. The girl I came to know and love. I have a hard time accepting the girl you've become.

Can you believe it was only five, maybe six, years ago we met? So much has changed since then. I have changed, and so have you. We have both mentally, and spiritually moved in opposite directions. I have watched you, my friend, take hold of the world.

And it scares me.

I love you too much to let you go down the path you have chosen.

So I pray for you. Everyday.

Honestly, the summer when things changed was a very hard summer for me. I was so confused. I loved your family to pieces.

I still do.

But God used that summer in an amazing way. I grew so much in my faith. God brought me closer to Him.

I missed you all terribly, and wanted you back more than anything. But in retrospect, I wouldn't have you back for the world.

God did amazing things in my life that summer, and that wouldn't have happened if He had not removed your family from my every day life.

I'm still going to pray for you. Everyday. I pray that God will get a hold of your heart and that you will follow Him once again.

I love you, my friend. Too much to let you take this path.

Love,

Courtney  

 I'm sure we all have friends that we wish to boldly, lovingly confront about their walk with Christ. I know I do. Although this is a letter to my friend, (who may never read it - let alone know it was written for her) let me encourage you to pray for that person in your life. I believe in the power of prayer. PRAYER WORKS! It really does. Prayer is the most powerful thing that we can do for them. GOD ANSWERS PRAYER. But in His timing, not ours. Pray for that person. If you see them on a daily basis, encourage them in His Word. You never know what they may be going through.

When God Says "No"

{This is a follow-up post to "Just Ask!"}

At the end of my post, "Just Ask," I said that "God is waiting, wanting to give us the good things He has in store. All we need to do is ask." Although that is true, it doesn't follow that just because we ask, God  will give us what we asked for.

Sometimes He says "No."

Sometimes the answer is "Yes". Sometimes the answer is "Maybe," or "Wait." But sometimes the answer is "No."

Then what? Do we stop believing in the goodness of God? Is He no longer good, because He said "No"?

The movie, God's Not Dead, popularized the known phrase, "God is good all the time." And added the response of: "And all the time, God is good." However cliche it may sound, the statement still rings true. God is good. All the time. Even in the tough times. Even when He says "No." 

This may be hard for some to believe, but God only has your best interests at heart. 

Really? MY best interests?

I know right?! It's awesome! The God of the universe has your best interests at heart. 

But what about...... You fill in the blank. Any trial, and hardship, anything! And I will still tell you that God has your best interests at heart. Even when He says "No."

Ask Him, then wait patiently for His answer. Whatever it may be. It may not be what you think best - but believe me, God knows best.  

New Every Morning

I'm done! I cannot do this anymore! I'm at the end of my rope! 

You walk away and lower yourself into the chair. You're fed up with the problems and difficulties of the day. Later, in the sanctity of your room, you pour out your problems to whoever will listen. If no one's listening, you just say things out loud to yourself. The pent-up tears flow freely now. All you want to do is sleep. But the looming question which keeps you up is "How will I face tomorrow?"

"(His mercies) are new every morning...." Lamentations 3:23

God gives us just enough grace to get through today. Whatever may come your way today, God's got you covered. He never gives us more than we can handle through His grace.

"Today's mercies are for today's troubles. Tomorrow's mercies are for tomorrow's troubles." ~ John Piper

That is why you may feel like you're ready to die at the end of one day, but then ready to take on the world the next morning. You've used today's resources; tomorrow, the mercies will be new.

"Great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:23b