my best friend rocks!

Liz and I recently went through something together that challenged us as individuals, as friends, and as followers of Christ. While I do not wish to share all the details with you (we have a secret BFF code to uphold!), I would like to share a few blurbs from one of our many emails. This is raw, real, nitty-gritty stuff! While we believe that certain things are not meant to be revealed to the masses, we both believe that this is too powerful to keep under lock and key. Some of it may be out of context with certain personal details omitted, but with her blessing, I would like to share with you some of what two young, single, Christ-following ladies wrestle with in today’s society.

Me: “I need to stop basing my actions on “not doing anything wrong” and instead approach activities in my life with the mindset of “is this glorifying God?” This is still new to me, but I think I’m getting better at it. We are all a work in progress after all. This is kind of frustrating to me because I feel like it can be taxing to constantly ask that question: “Is what I’m doing RIGHT NOW an act of worship?” Sometimes I want so desperately to just be “normal” although I know that wasn’t a fulfilling lifestyle for me before. It’s also hard sometimes to continue living for God knowing that he will bless us with certain things when the time is right, when we both want that time to be like.. now-ish. My impatient nature makes being a Christian and saying “no” to the world pretty stinkin’ difficult at times.”

Liz: “This is something that followers of Christ will ALWAYS struggle with… And you and I both know that I make decisions all the time and live a life that doesn’t come close to always glorifying God, but I’ve started to identify situations that put me at risk of forgetting who I am in Christ. And it’s not about being strong. In fact, I think it’s more about being weak. We know our weaknesses; therefore sometimes we have to ask ourselves, “Am I putting myself in a situation that makes me vulnerable?” (ie: guys, alcohol, etc.)

Being “normal” is also an alluring trap. Part of us will always want to take the wheel of life and say to God, “Just let me drive! I know a shortcut! You’re taking the scenic route. I want to get there NOW!” And the reality is we will never get “there”. God will always be teaching us new things, taking us to new places, and we will never reach perfection this side of eternity. The beautiful thing is we don’t have to! (Thanks, Jesus!)”

Me: “…I am naturally a very critical and judgmental person. I am very open-minded about certain things, but I can become judgmental quickly too. Sometimes when I feel like I am being obedient to God and doing the “right” thing, I can easily judge others who aren’t doing that. Even if that judgment is silent and only known by me, it’s still a toxic way of thinking. I can say to myself over and over again that everyone is different and called to do different things at different times, and I can know in my heart that I’m not perfect so I have no right in thinking I’m above others, but this has just been a struggle of mine… Advice?”

Liz: “Difficult question/thought! THIS SUCKS! It is something I struggle with ALL the time too. You are definitely doing the right thing by reminding yourself that we are all on different paths and in different places with God. Not only that, but God may tell you “no” on certain things, where for others it’s not an issue because maybe they don’t struggle with that certain thing. We all have very unique obstacles, and it’s very hard to accept that when it means watching other people do the things God has called us not to do… Flipside –> God calls us to do things that are unique to us as well. And this helps us to let go of those other things because we experience the joy and peace of knowing that we are fulfilling part of His plan for us.”

<This next paragraph encapsulates so much wisdom and beauty; thus the title: MY BEST FRIEND ROCKS>

Liz: “Sometimes we notice what seem to be glaring flaws in others or stumbling blocks. We have to yield to the spirit on this. God calls us to live lives that exemplify our faith, and He may even call us at times to speak into someone’s life about something they are struggling with. However, transformation is ultimately God’s job. That is something that is easy to forget. Salvation, Redemption, Deliverance, and Resurrection are all in God’s hands, not ours. We are blessed to be able to take part in these transformations, but we would go crazy if we felt like it was all on our shoulders, and sometimes it’s tempting to feel that way. When God is transforming you, you think, “I’ve got this new life/“die to myself” thing figured out, what is wrong with these other people?” In those instances, I try to remember how powerful and special it is when you personally reach that place in your relationship with God. That’s something that is truly divine and we simply cannot make someone feel that connection with God as much as we want to. That is exactly why transformation is so awe-inspiring, because it is one thing that only God himself can do.”

Liz: “But… (and it’s a big but, lol) like you said in your blog, God can use everything, (unfortunately, even crazy Bourbon St. evangelist girl). You may disagree with me, but I honestly think the reason why you felt the need to defend yourself to her, to me, and even to your blog readers, is because somehow the interaction with her stirred up something inside of you. Yes, anger is a legit response. You were indeed attacked. But if you were “fully convinced” (see Romans 15) of yourself and your relationship with God in that moment, I don’t think you would have felt as strong of a need to disprove her and I don’t think you would have felt as attacked. Again, the only reason I say this is because I’ve seen God use these situations before in my own life… We can’t let our pride get in the way of letting God use any and all circumstances to draw us closer to Him.

Ask yourself “Does this compromise my relationship with God?” God is probably not going to call you to be in a situation that damages you spiritually. Be ok saying no if something’s putting your spiritual well-being in jeopardy… I selfishly thought God was teaching me a lesson. I should have known He had something bigger up His sleeve. SO SO SO blessed that we can see bits of his masterpiece come alive in each other.”

I’m so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people, and I thank God everyday for such a remarkable best friend.