just right

some people know just what to say as they enter into the messiness of people's lives. maybe you need a dose of the wise, sweet or funny encouragement of some of my friends. enjoy!

"i won't tell you what you want to hear or try to down play the difficulty of this season. there is no amount of sugar coating that will make things better or less real. but i will tell you that if you make it through this difficult season, you'll be able to say with full confidence whether these God promises are worth it... you'll be able to know first hand if He is real and near in the goods and bads of life. most people who walk this life of faith never have the chance to truly test His faithfulness and petition for His closeness. but whether or not you wanted it, you now have the chance to test Him and find if He really is all we've hear Him to be. that alone may be all that there is to cling to sometimes, but i hope it is enough. i hope He proves to be more than you imagined, i hope you find more than you could have fathomed. but i don't know... i have never been where you are. i have never had to ask the questions you are asking. i have never tested the truths you're questioning. so i offer not my words or my wisdom, but my support to you as you search... i offer my prayers as you see... i offer my love as you hurt."

"i swear, everytime i read your emails it reminds of anne of green gables. ha. just the way she tells her stories and writes. love it. why do i like that movie so much? well, i am sorry you are so sick these days and know that God has a plan for all of this craziness. i know you hear that a lot--but from the heartache i went through the last year, i realized that God's plan sometimes takes us through the mud to get us where He wants us to be...perhaps for something better than we could imagine."

"You are a woman of great courage and impact... reminds me of the story told in Thornton Wilder's play The Angle that Troubled the Waters... with the Angle telling a stricken physician "Without your wounds, where would your power be?... In Love's service, only wounded soldiers can serve"."

"My heart goes out to you, but not in a sad way, in a happy way b/c I know you embrace life and whatever it gives you. You give that encouragement to many. In times when maybe we should not complain, we should realize what we have been given my God and appreciate it. It's like a few weeks ago when I was running on the track, complaining of having to run during my training for the upcoming half marathon. Right beside me were two runners with metal legs, you know those cool running ones? If they can do it, why can't I and I should not complain. There are so many things we complain about in life, but in reality, we need not. I love you Leah and know that you will do whatever it takes and so will God. I will pray for the things you asked for and then some. For you to be brave and not worry about what God has in store for you. You are loved and always will be!"

what type of friends do you have surrounding you? what messages do you let filter through your brain into your heart? it makes all the difference in the world, literally!