Only God can orchestrate what seems to most as a "coincidence," but is a "divine appointment" to those who follow Jesus. That was where we camped out for a while in our Bible study this morning. A few of us shared some of thee CRAZIEST stories with the group - Stories that are meant to be shared, because in the midst of this chaotic human experience we are having, those stories bring hope. And we all need hope.
A few years ago, the Lord brought me a new friend through one of those divine appointments. Her name is Mary, and I always refer to her as my "breath of fresh air." But before I tell you about her, I must tell you that for the past hour, I have sat here in my "Lazy Girl" chair praying that the Lord would give me the right words, His Words - so that I could accurately describe just why she is a breath of fresh air, why I know our friendship is from Him, and what it is that He intended for our friendship to teach me.
I also spent some time worrying about who I would offend, and how I would "tip toe" around the fact that I have left the catholic church. But finally, I believe the Holy Spirit tapped me on the shoulder and just said to start writing. So here goes.
Yes. I left the catholic church. There, I said it. I left years ago. And the reason I left wasn't because I had this intention in my heart of hurting those closest to me! And it wasn't because I disliked anyone. And it wasn't because I wanted to spend the next decades trying to defend myself and my beliefs. So for anyone who has the ridiculous notion in their head that anyone would purposefully set out to hurt those closest to them, by leaving a particular denomination, ANY denomination - Stop it. Stop it right now. It is simply not true. No one does that. And no two journeys are the same, so if you are one of those people who insist and demand that others should be on the same place of the road as you on your journey, or even on the same road at all, stop THAT too. Because you will lose valuable people in your life, people God put there intentionally.
Leaving the catholic church was one of the most difficult things I've ever done. For a long time, I felt as though I had to defend myself, and at times I still do feel that way. That feeling of having to defend myself sent me on a journey of studying that a few key people have been instrumental in helping me with, (and they know who they are). Never, ever, will you set out on a journey to study God's Word, and not become intimately acquainted with the Savior of the World. Never. It's not possible. And that is exactly what happened to me. I fell in love with Jesus.
But! Where I went wrong was, I began to blame the fact that I had not experienced this relationship with the God of the universe, on the people who belonged to the denomination that I left, the very people who were angry that I left, the people who believed I intended to hurt them by leaving. How ridiculous, right? While none of that may even be true, it was how I felt as I journeyed towards knowing Him better. I was angry because I felt that my lack of an intimate relationship with the Lord in the past was somehow their fault. And it was not! It was MY fault. And since I will ALWAYS be a work in progress, I will admit here, that this is still something I struggle with. So when I begin to struggle with these thoughts, my favorite scripture to remember is Philippians 4:8 which says, "Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things."
So where does my friend Mary fit in with all of this? I met my "breath of fresh air" friend at a summer time Bible study with a group of women who know better than to take four months off from studying God's Word together. This group is something that has just become a part of summer to me - Warm weather, vacations, sandy beaches, and these incredible women. They are truly one of my favorite parts of summer! Each one of them is unique and special to me. And Mary just happens to be Catholic.
Mary and I quickly became friends. Lunches at Coney Island, trips in the snow to Panera Bread, soup and salad at Olive Garden, emails, and lengthy conversations over the phone helped grow our friendship, and soon we realized how much we had in common. We have eaten lunch and shed tears a few times as we have gotten to know each other. I have gleaned a lot about parenting from Mary, and have prayed to absorb even a fraction of wisdom from her as she tells me about her journey with the Savior we share. We have often prayed for and encouraged each other when going through difficult and trying times. We have cried together as we remember our babies who have gone to heaven. We have shared more than I could even write about, and she has been such a comfort and blessing to me over these past years. Truly, a friendship from heaven. And not once has she ever made me feel like less of a Christian because I am not Catholic. Not once has she been less of a friend to me because I am not Catholic.
Mary loves Jesus, and aside from her gorgeous wisdom high-lighted hair, it is truly the most beautiful thing about her. Mary attracts people to Jesus. She loves Christ, and she follows Him whole-heartedly, and passionately shares Him with anyone who will listen. And as I often listen to Mary share this love, a hunger grows inside of me as the listener, to know Him even more intimately. And, ironically, I find myself concentrating on things that are true, things that are noble, things that are right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy, just like Philippians 4:8 talks about! So you see, because of my friendship with Mary, I no longer think about the lives of those whom I pray mine never reflect. Instead, I think about how Mary's reflects Christ, and pray mine does too.
Mary attracts people to Jesus. I want to be like Mary.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't be that person who accepts friendships based solely on denominations. Don't be that person who can't have fellowship with someone who belongs to "that church down the street." Instead, find people whose lives, speech, behavior, how they treat others, and yes, even who they surround themselves with, to be the factors you consider in relationships. Don't miss out on the blessings of people God intentionally puts in your life. And don't just write people off when they don't agree with you on something so incredibly trivial. You just might miss out on some of the greatest gifts God had in store for you. And before you quickly think of someone who may have done this to YOU, ask yourself, who have you cut ties with? Walked away from? Abandoned? Ended friendships with? And consider the possibility that even YOU may have forfeited some of God's greatest blessings.
Mary, I am so blessed to call you friend and sister.
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