Way back (you know, back in the 90's) when the original Toy Story movie came out, a friend of mine took her two pre-school age nephews to see it. Weeks following their big movie experience, the youngest was heard singing, "You got a friend in nee!" Julie, my friend, tried to correct him explaining that the song actually says, "You got a friend in me...m-m-meeee!" He would hear nothing of it and replied emphatically, "No, Aunt Ju-wee! It's, 'You got a friend in nee...n-n-neeee!'"
Whichever interpretation works for you, I think it's safe to say that friendships are a gift, and Toy Story does an incredible job of reaching into the heart of what it means to be there for someone.
Over the past two weeks a phenomenal thing has happened to me. Phenomenal in that I was the recipient of random acts of friendship. I have friends all over the world. Some I haven't seen since grade school, some not since college, and others I haven't seen in a couple of days. Randomly, I received messages, texts, and even a great, big hug from several of these friends. They were all praying for me. I hadn't spoken to, nor even seen, some of these individuals, and yet God brought me to mind at a time that I really needed prayer. How cool is that? They had no idea what challenges I was facing, or that I had found three gray hairs that morning. God used his people to reach out to me, and I felt encouraged to keep pressing on.
I learned two powerful things through this:
First, God is deeply concerned about every detail of my life, and while I may not receive audible messages straight from Heaven, He speaks to me through His Body of believers...my friends. He knows what we need when we need it, and as imperfect as we are, He loves to use us to encourage one another. My friends were obedient to God's prompting, and I was blessed.
Second, when God brings someone to my mind, and I pray for them, I need to let them know. There are countless times when a person flashes through my mind. I usually don't know what, or if anything, is going on with them, but I know I'm supposed to pray. What I am realizing, however, is that it's not complete until I've let them know.
So often I think we feel isolated and alone in our circumstances. Maybe being home all day with the kids, or working full-time and struggling to find balance, or focusing on a difficult transition finds us wondering if anyone knows where we are or the struggles we've been facing. As a part of the Body of Christ, it is becoming more clear to me that reaching out with a quick word or hug is being Jesus to my friends.
It's a simple way of saying, "Hey! You got a friend in nee!"
Friday's Free Advice: If someone crosses your mind, stop, pray, and then let them know!