Do You Need A Friend?
A Friend Loves At All Times • New Free Download • Personal Update
HELLO MY FRIENDS…
My Cup Runneth Over… When I was thinking about the theme verse for this week… Proverbs 17:17… A friend loves at all times… I enjoyed a bit of time reminiscing about my own precious friendships over the years. But honestly… friendships haven’t always been easy for me. In fact, until I came to know the Lord, I didn’t even like women, let alone love them! Except for one… but I’ll save her story for another time. But I was very much a loner growing up and had only one friend throughout high school. We were almost inseparable. But even our relationship changed when she went off to college and I went into the youth home.
I know now that it was my unhealthy relationship with my grandmother, my narcissistic mother and my sisters, at the time, that taught me not to trust women, let alone love them. But then I met Jesus. And He is so amazing, isn’t He? As I continued to walk with Him and allowed His love to flow in me and through me… my cup has truly overflowed with the blessing of many wonderful friends throughout the years… for which I am eternally thankful. But the truth is, even our Christian friends can hurt us and betray us, can’t they? And that can be even more painful. That was me when I first met my friend Sandi.
Sandi is a teacup and teapot collector… not just because they are so pretty, but because she truly enjoys tea, much like I enjoy my coffee. Whenever I would visit her, she always had the tea kettle whistling, ready to fill my cup with a fragrant herbal brew. However, Sandi graciously served me, not only a cup of tea, but also the cup of total acceptance and love… a drink of blessing that overflowed my heart and truly changed the course of my life in the Lord.
You see… I first met Sandi during a very difficult time of my life. I was a mess. I was emotionally and spiritually wounded and lonely. Wounded by Christian women, I had withdrawn into myself and was afraid of being vulnerable again, especially to women in the church. But Sandi somehow saw through the “bandages” I had applied to my heart, not bandages for healing but for protection. She reached out with the love of Christ and encouraged me as I loosened the thick wrappings and allowed myself to once again experience the true friendship of other women.
Sandi was our women’s ministry pastor, the one who first invited and encouraged me to share my testimony, and my shining example of a friend who loves at all times. I remember telling the Lord I wanted to be like Sandi… to which He graciously corrected me and showed me… it was the Christ who lived within her I really wanted to be like. And He was so right. Oh, how I long for the Christ who lives in me to shine through me… to be a friend who loves at all times. And I know you long for the same because Christ lives in you too! Amen? Amen!
And always remember… others may hurt us or let us down… intentionally or unintentionally… but Jesus never will. He is the Best Friend we could ever hope for and His love for us is forever and always. He is also the only One who can truly heal our hearts and restore broken relationships. I am so incredibly grateful for His grace, goodness, and forgiveness poured out new every morning. Yes Lord!
So my prayer for us today is…
Dear Jesus… help us to have a servant’s heart… to be women who pour a drink more refreshing than tea. May the cup we offer to the women you have placed in our lives always overflow with your love, grace, and acceptance.
Until next week…
I love you my friends! xoxo
FREE DOWNLOAD… “A FRIEND LOVES AT ALL TIMES” COLORING PAGE…
Please enjoy coloring this encouraging verse while you thank the Lord for the friends He’s placed along the path of your life… and especially for Him being your very best friend of all!!
You can download the coloring page here.
If you have a friend who loves the Lord and enjoys coloring… please feel free to share!
FEBRUARY THEMED BIBLE BOOKMARKS AND JOURNALING TEMPLATES…
The “Everlasting Love” bookmark collection includes all the verses I’ll be focused on for February’s posts.
You can find the “Everlasting Love” color-your-own version is available here… great for your own quiet time or to color with the kids… for tracing templates in your journaling Bible… or cut up and used for scrapbooking or junk journals. (Full color is not available yet!)
All the other Valentine themed cards and collections can be found here!
ON A PERSONAL NOTE…
My Courtyard Update… I still haven’t been able to finish the path but soon… very soon.I hope anyway. But my courtyard brings me so much joy… especially the birds. I have had as many as 40-50 birds at one time… right outside my big window… where I sit in the mornings with the Lord.But oh my… when this big guy… my Cooper’s Hawk shows up… the whooshing sound of all those birds taking flight at once is so incredibly powerful. I was sitting under this tree when he showed up just the other day! It was so amazing to see him so close! We are blessed beyond measure, aren’t we? That the good Lord created such beautiful little creatures to bring us joy is such a gift. Amen?
Butterflies and Hearts Update… It’s been another crazy busy week but I did manage to get ribbon for the necklaces/ornaments. I even took their photos with the ribbon but I ran out of time to get them listed on Etsy so I’m counting on next week now for sure! Thank you to those interested for your patience and understanding.
Healthwise… thank you for all your prayers, blessings, and words of encouragement regarding my back pain. I met with a neurosurgeon yesterday… neck surgery is inevitable but not urgent as in today… and for the mid-back and lumbar… injections and PT. I’m believing they will help. And I’m thankful I can do so much of what I do while resting on the heating pad! Thank You Lord!
UNTIL NEXT TIME…
As always… thank you for walking with me on this crazy faith journey and I pray that… even if only in a small way… you are blessed and encouraged as we walk together! Thank you for your prayers, comments, support, and encouragement… they are a gift I do not take for granted.
Love you my friends. Lord bless you and keep you… in His love and for His glory…
Karla xoxo
Thank you for sharing your life lessons and stories with us. Your words are always gracious and encouraging and yet not sugar coated. Thank you for being real with us.❤️🩹 You are are a blessing. Jesus living in you shines through you. 💖 You are a letter, 💌, an epistle. The Lord's goodness and faithfulness written on your heart is being shared with us.
I love your post today. I struggle with having friends, but I know God has placed just the right people in my life for right now. I'm thankful for that.