You've got ten seconds.

It's funny how God brings different people in your life at different times. One of the best friendships I have ever had the pleasure of enjoying, didn't begin until I was in my late twenties. I met her at a church we had began attending. I remember seeing her and thinking, "I hate her." Strong words..I know. She had just had a baby and her body was small and fit. I was disgusted! If you are a woman reading this, you totally get me. Little did I know, that this woman would soon become my closest friend and confident. When you meet her, what you see is what you get. She is one of the most honest people I know. If she doesn't agree with you, she will tell you. If you are doing something wrong, she will tell you. If she doesn't like your hair, she will tell you. She is the real thing. Everyone needs a friend like this, someone who keeps you on the straight path in life. That's her. But, there is also a soft side to her. The side that has been my shoulder to cry on when I was at my lowest point. The side that has given me some of the best advice. The side that has helped me to see myself like God sees me. The side that laughs with me until we can't breathe. The side that tells me that she is praying for me and I know that she will. She is uniquely and wonderfully made in God. I remember one time when I had been upset about something. I had been crying and crying. It was like I was stuck in my misery, sucked into it like quicksand and I couldn't get out. We were talking on the phone and I was crying when she said to me, "O.K. I'm going to give you ten seconds to cry as hard as you can, and at the end of that ten seconds, you are going to quit crying, you are going to give it to God and not take it back." So, I cried my ten seconds and then it was over. Wow! What a revelation for me. That's all I had to do. My crying was over and my weight was lifted. After that, we continued talking and she got me to laugh hysterically like she always could. Now. that's a friend! The friend that will be honest with you, God says to be "truthful at all times". The friend that will correct you and make sure that you don't mess up, and if you do, helps you find your way straight again. The friend that loves through anything. The friend that prays. The friend that can make you laugh when all you can do is cry. The friend that helps you push away the negative and remember the positive. The friend...that reminds you of what God can do. The friend that loves like God does. I am blessed to be able to say my life is filled with friends, this is just one of them. Who's in your life? Proverbs 17:7, "A friend loves at all times." Proverbs 27:17, "As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend." Ecclesiastes 4:9, "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work."