Real friendships can be hard to make. You have to learn what makes that other person tick. You have to learn to really talk. Not just occasional, passing conversations, but true depth.
That’s where I struggle. I have a hard time getting to know other people well enough to know how to engage in true conversations and really interact. Even if I do build a good, solid friendship, physical distance can cause that friendship to weaken and fade because we lose the regular interaction that keeps our conversation going.
But I’m learning a secret trick. It seems to be a fool-proof way to get to know someone and to maintain a relationship despite distance and time apart.
Prayer.
It’s so simple, isn’t it? When we pray for someone, we see that person the way God does. We see the heart. Nothing in this world draws us closer to another human being than getting a glimpse into the heart.
I have proof.
Years ago, I met an amazing woman. Just as our friendship was truly growing strong
, she moved, first out of state and then to the other side of the world. That was seven years ago. We have only seen each other face to face a handful of times since she moved, yet our hearts have only been knit closer together. Even across the ocean when her email isn’t working and we have no way to communicate, we always seem to know just what the other needs. We somehow know one another’s struggles. We seem to be learning the same lessons and experiencing the same joys as we dig into Scripture.
It has nothing to do with the number of times we get to talk or our ability to stay on top of the day-to-day events in each other’s lives. It has everything to do with the fact that we do not cease to pray for one another.
Today I get to spend time face to face with this beloved friend. After this weekend, I’ll hopefully see her once more before she and her precious family head back overseas for another four-year term on the mission field. Today I’ll delight in the fact that we get to spend time in the same room. But when I say goodbye to her tomorrow, I’ll get to delight in the fact that physical distance can do nothing to truly separate us. I rest confident in her daily prayers, and I know she feels mine as well.
Do you need a friend? Start praying! Ask God to bring someone to your mind, some person who needs your prayers and who can pray for you as well. Then enjoy the great delight of discovering how your hearts become knit together as they also become more closely knit to your Savior.
Not Quite Ordinary 