Tender and Healing Gifts of Friendship

    Life throws so much at us that it can, sometimes, become over-whelming. We can shut down our emotions and just go through the motions of doing what is necessary; we can perform our duties and if not careful, we can lose our sense of what our limits are mentally and physically, which can lead to a shutting down of some of our thought processes, or a physical exhaustion beyond what simple rest can provide, both of which can escape our understanding in the midst of it all.
   It was at this point in my life in which God sent me a Friend who walked with me for some years, never giving up, always caring, always praying, never walking away when I was so broken by decades of giving with too little given in return. No, I did not understand how broken I had become, and perhaps my Friend didn't either, yet there was a realization of a need of a loyalty that went beyond the comforts of mere acquaintance, and sometimes much more stable and solid to stand beside. Prayer, deep prayer, was, and is, the Greatest Gift, through the Eyes of Jesus.
   God sent someone through whom He could express His care, and His healing of my soul.
   I simply want to say that Friends are gifts of Kindness, Mercy, and Grace from our God; for God to express to us His infinite caring for us in ways we would not expect.
   I want to be that Friend in return. And want to encourage readers to understand the vital roles they can play in the lives of others. This Friendship has been God's means of turning my life from brokenness to knowing the Tender Grace of our God as a Living Reality, as a Life-Fountain of Grace that is Beautiful beyond what our imaginations can conceive in our world. Truly, God's Grace is of another world, it is of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, and His desire is that we love one another so deeply that we can see the Love God has for us. Self-sacrifice, as Jesus gave of Himself for us. This is His two Great Commandments played out in our lives, as His Holy Spirit is in us to will and to do of His Good Pleasure: ''Love God with all that is in us; and Love Others as we Love ourselves''. To let our hearts be opened to Jesus, to trust Him to Love us as we deeply desire to be loved. Jesus can and will and desires that emotional connection we all crave, yet find so elusive! We were meant to be Loved by Him in ways that fulfill our Greatest Longings! We were meant to be filled with Divine Love, then pour that Love into one another! Love, True Love, not lust. To give, not take.
   He just says, ''Trust Me, I deeply want to saturate you in my Love; Trust Me, I Am Gentle and Tender of Heart; I Long to Give Tender, Pure Love to you; I paid the Price for your sin with My Blood on the Cross; I long to pour out My Gentle Love on you like a refreshing, warm, life-giving  summer rain; Trust Me, I Love you!'' 
   Thank you, my Friend, for taking me closer to Jesus!