Friendships

I wrote this article for our MOPS newsletter this week.  I thought it would be a timely post here as well.

A 4-year old boy calls across the field to a 3-year old girl, “Little girl, do you want to come and play?”  This small step by a little boy was the start of the most meaningful female friendship in my mother’s life.  Mom and Becky have been through it all and then some.  They’ve been best friends for nearly 30 years.  Their friendship came when neither was looking.

For years, Mom has encouraged me to find my “Becky.”  We both prayed for my “Becky.”  I have some close friends from growing up and college, but they are almost all male - one being that 4-year old boy.  I’ve never been good with female friendships.  With each move, God was faithful to bring godly women into my life - women with the potential to be my “Becky.”  The thing is, a “Becky” takes years to grow.

We all need to have a “Becky” or two in our lives - someone to walk with us and to pick us up when we fall.  Someone to be honest with us even when it hurts.  Someone willing to clean the toilets in the new house as we struggle to move in.  Someone to hold us accountable.  It is possible to have a “long-distance Becky,” but certainly not ideal.  We all need someone willing to come over at a moment’s notice from time to time.

Do you have a “Becky?”  I encourage you to pray for one.  I encourage you to get out and meet other women.   Over time, a “Becky” or two or three will emerge.  I keep praying.  You should too.  We aren’t meant to walk through this life alone.  What is holding you back?  Fear of transparency?  Fear of rejection?  Fear of looking awkward?  While there is certainly a time and place for very structured relationships, we need not force our “Becky-ships.”  Transparency comes with trust.  Pray.  Invest time.  Invest your heart.  It’s worth it for a “Becky.”