I read that there is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother.
And for that I am truly thankful.
Because we live in a very transient world.
Where people come and go.
The yearning is there.
To know and be known.
To feel safe and loved and valued.
To experience being cherished and like we matter to someone with skin on.
And if we are truly fortunate along the way, there will be those who we get to share life with.
The ups, the downs, the joys, the sorrows, the laughter, the tears.
The whole thing.
But one thing I know for sure.
Life changes. People move on, in one way or another.
And no one, no one can fill that huge, yawning, God-sized abyss that resides in our souls.No one. Except Jesus.
He's the Friend who never forsakes. Never leaves. Doesn't change. Has only my best interests at heart. Sees the beginning from the end. And has the power to alter my every step.
The Forever Friend. The Living Saviour. The Lover of my soul ...
Ah, what a friend we have in Jesus! Have a truly blessed Friday Linda!
ReplyDeleteAnd precious He is, Beth. Precious!
ReplyDeleteLinda
Hi Linda. Over here from Lisa-Jo's page. I'm delighted you have chosen to focus on our closest Friend as my thoughts have gone in that direction too! Be blessed as you lean hard on Him. Knowing Jesus as friend is the best thing in our lives. :) x
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Joy! Yes, we lean hard on Him, don't we ... and there's no better way to walk daily, is there.
DeleteLinda
We are thinking alike today dear, be blessed.
ReplyDeleteDenise ... looks like God has brought Proverbs 18:24 to many of us this Friday, yes?
DeleteLinda
So true! No one can compare to the friendship of Jesus...
ReplyDeleteAmen! Say it, sister!
DeleteLinda
Great and beautiful truth about the greatest and most beautiful friend. Amen to all you said!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. Yes, He is, Sylvia! And thanks for joining me this beautiful spring morning!
DeleteLinda
He is our friend that never changes. Comforting words!
ReplyDelete;-}
DeleteYes, Linda. Thank you for stopping in today!
Linda
Love this...I know transition well, and it's never easy to say goodbye, no matter how many times we have to do it. I love what you said about sharing life with people...it's something I've tried to be intentional about, even if I know my time with them is short. It does come back to the truth you shared, though...we DO have a friend who is closer than a brother. I'm so thankful for that! Blessings and happy Friday! :)
ReplyDeleteOh Mel ... yes! Transitions are difficult for many of us. Change happens in an instant, but the transitions can go on and on. And goodbyes? AARRGGHH!
DeleteLinda
Beautiful, just beautiful. He is the friend we always have in our heart.
ReplyDeleteNever leaving, never changing like 'shifting shadows.'
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Lovely thoughts. You are so right. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Debi!
DeleteLinda
Jesus! The most faithful of friends. He will never leave me! Have a blessed weekend.
ReplyDeleteI hope your weekend is sparkling, Barbie!
DeleteLinda
I love how you explained the world as transient. Perfect. Beautiful writing!
ReplyDeleteHere today, gone tomorrow ... way too often. Thanks for stopping by this morning, Brie!
DeleteLinda
Linda,
ReplyDeleteWhat God brought to your heart in those five minutes has in turn blessed mine so abundantly in the five days since He led me to read it. Your words spoke to me in a profound way at a moment when I was hurting in the very manner you described so sensitively and honestly. Those concise, powerful words helped give me the courage to start facing my own "abyss" and begin turning it over to the Author and Finisher of wholeness itself. "Seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness..." All the rest is in His loving hands. Thank you for inspiring me to get my eyes off of the chasm and onto my Christ!
God bless you,
A
Awed, simply awed, by the Holy Spirit's prompting, timing, grace-filled power. Thank you so much for sharing your heart today, A ...
DeleteLinda
Celebrating the Spirit's prompting, too, Linda. This morning I was drawn to the verse where Christ tells His disciples, "It is expedient for you that I go away: FOR IF I GO NOT AWAY, THE COMFORTER WILL NOT COME UNTO YOU; but if I depart, I will send him unto you" (John 16:7). This perspective gives the many "comings and goings" of this world, as you write about here, an even fuller meaning for me when I consider how God can use them, and our own yearning for "everlasting arms," ultimately to draw us closer to Him. I found myself reading about this same thing a couple days ago, the transience and incompleteness of even our most cherished relationships. Loved ones may serve as powerful models of God's love to us, but "as we come to know them, we realize that each of them can reveal only a little bit of God. God's love is greater than theirs; God's goodness is greater than theirs; God's beauty is greater than theirs. At first we may be disappointed in these people in our lives. For a while we thought that they would be able to give us all the love, goodness, and beauty we needed. But gradually we discover that they were all SIGNPOSTS ON THE WAY TO GOD" (Henri Nouwen, _Bread for the Journey_). New light, perhaps, on the abyss that only He fills . . .
DeleteBlessings,
A
Yes ... all those good gifts simply serve to point us to the Giver of all good things, the Creator and Comforter Himself. Henri Nouwen, once again, gives deep food for contemplation, yes?
DeleteLinda
Amen to that. And yes, Nouwen's insights are always thought-provoking, sometimes startlingly so. What a gift God gave him.
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