zebra striped friendship

i am beginning to open up more and more to having people come over to the house. part of it is that greyhound is no longer here. he made the house, um.. smell unappealing. another part is that i am slowly starting to get the living room in order. new orange sofa and settee, new coffee table, entertainment center, tiled shelf unit, and zebra striped vase. mom even got some zebra striped fabric to recover the ottoman she made me several christmases ago.

my dot and i also picked up some new flooring for the living room and hallways. we're hoping to have that done in a few weeks.

but anyway, it helps to make the place a little more visitor-friendly. so tonight i met with a dear friend of mine from church to get caught up over dinner, and ended up coming back to the house afterward. i showed her what we've done in the house so far and our plans for the rest of it.

my friend and i were talking about things that God has been doing in our lives lately. i was sharing with her about some stuff i've been learning in my beth moore study, about hearing how i need to let some things go so God can take me to the promiseland He has for me. He wants to take me, but i need to leave some things here that God says i can't take with me. and she seemed to surprised that i have things in my life that i would need to let go. it blows me away that she thinks i've got it together.

i've been very conscious lately about trying to be transparent so people will see that we all have the same struggles, we all have trials, we all go through phases where we need to let things go or be healed. i know there are people that i look up to and can tend to see that they have it together. but they're just like me. and i'm just like everyone else.

we all go through it. we all have low times. we all put on an 'i'm doing okay' face. we might be at different levels of spiritual maturity, be we all experience life! so i share stories of times i've cried or having misunderstandings or feelings of inadequacy or being stood up. i want her to know i'm just as human as the next guy, but that i have times - incredible times - when God works through me and i am handle a situation "ok".

it's important she recognize that it isn't me, but God doing it through me. i'm just the lucky vessel.

i prayed for her this weekend, that she would feel God's presence, truly feel it and know He is there. and tonight at dinner she shared with me that she has been experiencing God's presence. she relayed to me as reality exactly what my prayer for her has been. pretty cool, huh??

that God would hear a prayer from little ole me, and answer it for little ole her.