Each week, on my daily podcast, Jesus Changes Everything, I include a segment titled “Forever Friends.” In said segment I give thanks to God for the friends He in His grace placed in my life at different times. Some of these friends have passed on. With others in time the relationship was broken. With still more I’ve simply lost touch. Typically I seek out, with the help of our overlords at Google, to find the person to let them listen in while I speak well of them. I also, however, most every segment, encourage my listeners to do the same, to contact an old friend and let them know of your gratitude.
Because we are made for relationship, reflecting the trinitarian nature of the living God, we are most ourselves in relationship. Which means in turn that among the greatest gifts our Father has given us is strong relationships. These segments are not merely remembering old friends, but giving thanks to Him for them. Which we ought to do not just for old friends, but all friends, including the one who should be our closest friend.
I was, little more than 5 years ago, a profoundly lonely man. God sent into my life a friend who needed a friend as well. This friend shared interests with me, and had the kind of sense of humor that meshed seamlessly. The friendship began at a distance, which distance remains no more. Lisa Sproul is my best friend. She is, in turn, the best gift, apart from my redemption, He has ever given me. She encourages me when I am down and joins me when I am up. She comforts me and inspires me. She feeds me like a king. Wisdom drops from her lips. She has eyes I get lost in and a voice that soothes me and all who hear it. She is kind to those in need, gracious to those who have harmed her. She speaks God’s Word into my life and the lives of others. (You can keep up with her here.)
It is grace, every bit of it. It is His grace toward her and His grace through her. It is His grace in her and His grace on her. It is His grace to me that He has blessed me with her grace. My job? To give thanks. To thank her and to thank Him. To never lose sight of the grace. My job is to remember, no matter what is happening that “I don’t deserve this” cannot mean I’m owed more but always means I’m owed less.
Jesus told us the story of the importunate widow. He encourages us to not lose hope as we bring our petitions before Him. How much more out we to not lose gratitude as we bring our praises before Him? I am ever so grateful for my wife, so beautiful inside and out. And I am ever so grateful to my Maker who brought her to me. She shall be called woman, for she is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. Give thanks friends.
“How did I become so blessed?” I ask myself this regularly. I thank God He rescued us from ourselves. And that He allowed us to rescue one another, complete one another, and deeply and profoundly love one another. Every thorn and thistle of our personalities are plucked out by the another. Yes, we are human. We hurt each other. We speak unkind things in anger. But we love each other in profound ways that only God could design. We are not pretend, but real. Our lives bear His image. We both died long ago that He might resurrect us together. To God be the glory!
I was married to a woman like that for 17 years. She just passed on, to her new life with Jesus, two days short of our 17th wedding anniversary, she was just 44. Brother, cherish and love your wife with all that is within you. If her home decorating, at times is really not to your liking, it’s ok, it really does not matter. There are so many things in our lives we worry or fret about, but really makes no difference, if your loved one was dying…consider, when your loved one would be placed in the grave, the things you may have argued about, your disagreements, would you have any regrets? If so, make changes now, it’s too late after they are gone.