"Two are better than one, woe to the one who falls with no one to lift him up."
What kind of friend are you? I have a wonderful friend who is my "go to" friend when I need to be with someone who I know walks with the Lord. Phyllis is a kindred spirit, has a busy life, many responsibilities and we don't get to see each other very often because of our mutually busy schedules. But, I take the luxury of making special time to get together with her because I know I can count on the fact that she has been in the presence of the Lord and whatever we chit-chat about or whenever we share heart secrets, I know that I will be exposed to a heart that has been shaped by scripture, watered by faith and dwelling in the presence of the Lord.
I know that just being with her will fill my cup, point me in the right direction, give me perspective. I also know that it has been her habit to walk with the Lord for years and years, one day--one devotional--one prayer at a time--so her wisdom is cumulative--years and years of experiences of seeing God's faithfulness and learning how to live by faith, and insight on how to look at life.
"He who walks with the wise will be wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm."
I have had to look for these kinds of friends over the years. I once heard a leader say, "I will go to the ends of the earth to be around someone who makes me want to love God more and be more excellence. I will run fast away from the kind of person who is always a drainer, complains and drags me down and depletes my desire to walk with God."
I have thought about this philosophy over the years. We must all minister to a wide variety of people. Yet, I have purposefully sought to find friends to spend time with, on somewhat of a regular basis, who have the life of Christ bubbling up. This is to fill my own heart with wisdom from those who keep me seeking to pursue God in His holiness. Positive peer pressure, you might say.
Excellent women are hard to come by, yet in each case, I find that these women are dedicated to pursuing God no matter what and their priorities show the investment they have made by making it a habit to spend time with the Lord on a regular basis--and then walk obediently, choosing to serve Him and His ways. Many of these women have terrible backgrounds and had to learn scripture and truth by pursuing it--but by pursuing the Lord in the context of His word and obeying it, they became reflections of Christ. Not about background, but about the priority of who you spend time with the most.
Do you want your children to draw from the Life that is bubbling over from your heart and mind and words and attitudes--then you must spend day after day with the Word of Life who will give you the true source of wisdom and love you long for.
Even as a house is built one brick at a time and yet has the potential of becoming a mansion, so a wise woman builds her house one day--one brick at time into a home of spirituality that comes from rubbing up against Him so many times.
Thanks, Phyllis, for spending so much time with Him so that I could be with Him when I am with you. Thanks, too, to all of my other sweet friends who pour His life into mine. (Those who are in my stories, in my book dedication, in my ministry and projects and work at my conferences, my blog and email friends. It is a host of watching women walk with God that waters my own heart. I am so very grateful for you!)I treasure you. You have made it possible for me to keep going in this life of ideals and faith in my sweet Lord.