Exposition Part 4 (the players)

'In eternity, when we gaze at the tapestry God designed, we will be surprised whose thread crossed ours and thus changed our lives. Conversely, those who touched our lives were also changed, and their change in turn changed others...only the Lord in His infinite wisdom could weave any of our tapestries together to comprise the beautiful tapestry of the Kingdom.'

~ John Paul Jackson

I believe with all my heart that satisfaction in life is directly related to the company we keep...and if you're a girl, it is imperative that you have good girlfriends. I have been extremely blessed in life to have not just good friends, but great ones...the kind that I can count on for just about anything. When I think of what kind of friend I hope to be for someone and what I look for in them, I think of Job. There's a little nugget in Job 2 that, as far as I'm concerned, is the epitome of great friendship:

 ¹¹Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. ¹²And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. ¹³And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.

I just love this. Job's friends knew that there was absolutely nothing they could do to make his condition any better, so they simply sat down in the dirt with him and entered into his grief with him. For seven days, they sat in the mud and cried together - because they knew that's all they could really offer him. I know, it's a rather depressing example to use to depict friendship but I think it's beautiful. And it has really challenged me in how I care for the people I love...it compels me to love more deeply, to really look for what might be lying beneath the surface, and to consider what the other person really needs instead of what I think they need. I long for people in my life that are willing to sit in the mud with me and cry if that's what I need. I have had the distinct honor to have, not many, but a few relationships in my life that look like this. (You know who you are).
But, here I am in a new city, a new job, a new life ...and I am in search of the authentic. It's really hard when you have nothing to measure with, but I am trusting in Him who is in me to lead me to those who will not only nourish me but allow me to do the same for them.
I think that I will have several 'the players' posts - so if you are reading this wondering 'what about me??' don't worry, this is not necessarily in any kind of ranking order...your time will come.
I think it's a really good question for all of us to ask ourselves: who are my Eliphaz's, Bildad's, and Zophar's? Who will know me so well that they will always know just what to say and what to do in my presence? And does anybody in my life see me as one of these guys? It's a taking stock of sorts...
So...since my arrival in Jacksonville, there have been many who have touched me and influenced me already...but I think I'll start with my "Mama L's"...

stay tuned...