(September 15, 2022 Today is my parents’ 43rd wedding anniversary but like 60 years of them knowing each other. Matt and I have known each other through marriage 14 years but have known of each other for 21years but have known each other for 20 years. An example of knowing each other through marriage: Matt asked me today, “Feel weird eating ribs with ribs?” I remember thinking yesterday when I had one for leftover, “I wonder if Matt is thinking it’s weird I am eating ribs knowing more intimately what my ribs feel like.” Bone is a weird tissue like that and especially rib because it is at most in a fragile state, self-healing. And Matt asked me while I worked on my second leftover rib, “Feel weird eating ribs with ribs?” the very next day I wondered from yesterday from the last time I wondered on Thursday, when we had them fresh for supper. We are that last in our minds of ourselves I will wonder if he’s going to wonder the same strange feeling I am wondering if he’s wondering for himself in terms of me, too, on the last country rib to go. We do not have ribs nearly ever! And Matt lovingly told me, “You’ve done something I never have!” I cannot always beat Matt, and I have actually given up trying because he is ore like that, but when I do, he will tell me when I am not even thinking about it. A victory feels sweeter that way <3; he caught me off guard in his notice I am going through something great#er, and it is all in his opinion. #whenMattletsmewin)
This trait is how I would recognize someone as self-less.
Being self-less is not something you can do, I would say, unless you do put yourself first, ie an action, but keep yourself last in mind. That is a humble attitude.
(I have to praise my mostly accurate friend. He told me, “I feel like I am part of your family even though I’ve never met your family.” He hit a homerun with my pitch, and I know exactly the moment I felt he selflessly helped me. And when he told me he felt like part of my family in a phone call, I knew he knew how great his love is, too. One of the ways he would close his letters to me was with an image…
(I know God is proud of our friendship September 11, 2022)
My intuition about that feeling was affirmed when my most accurate friend became imprisoned the first time after we reconnected. He gave an inmate a photo of me to sketch as a gift of gratitude for me to receive to mark a moment in our friendship. The gesture sparked curious questions, ie wonder, in the inmate sketching me. The story was a hit! I appreciated the sketcher’s interpretation: When I look at my photo he drew from, I see The Holy Spirit working, too. That looks like breath to me John 20:21-22…
A friendship of this nature feels like a Testimony.
What makes the impossible friendship possible, in my opinion, is a Christ-centered woman. “Who is the “head” of woman?” Man. 1 Corinthians 11:3 Who is the one true man? The Son of Man, ie Christ Jesus. Therefore, the head of the woman is Christ. I guess you could read that this way…she has received the “mind of Jesus”, ie wisdom, in her faithfulness to God.
What makes the impossible friendship true, in my opinion? A man who is equipped. Who equips man? God 2 Timothy 2:17. What will an equipped man do? Lead. Where will an equipped man lead? With the woman’s help, not into temptation, ie not astray from God.
How does this friendship walk?
2 Peter 1: 5-8, ie with the posture of a brother and sister in Christ . Yea
We wrote letters to each other throughout his imprisonment, and my favorite letters were ones we shared our faith. We retold the mundane in letters, too. I say faith-written letters were my favorite because I appreciated how he related to my receptivity in his own words. I felt more and more invited in. I think the guard who reviewed our letters for clearance appreciated our correspondence, at least that’s what I gather because there were a lot of rules to keep up with: no colored paper, no colored envelopes, no colorful pens, no stickers, etc. and one of my letters in a colored envelope passed that should not have, and I remember that letter - it was a grounding one. I was thankful the guard gave that letter clearance. I would say our friendship is a kind of encouragement, a light of His truth, ie Grace. #iproofreadthis
2/23/23 In his journey of healing his drug addiction, he became imprisoned a second time. This present term is noticeably different - it is silent: no letters, fewer phone calls. I praised his capacity for silence and encouraged him to continue his time in that quietude. I did not tell him this but I did pray this when I gave him that encouragement - "God, I know his confidence in The Holy Spirit is in Your hands now." I am proud of how reverently he received his consequence, and I know the present silence in his lengthier sentence is a healing proof in his journey.)
Comments
Post a Comment