"...so a friend sharpens a friend." (Proverbs 27:17)
10 years ago I started praying for a "back-door friend." You know the kind.. the kind that doesn't have to knock when they show up at your house, the kind that feels comfortable zipping into your home on the way home from work to pick up a box of pasta from your pantry because it's more convienent than having to stop at the grocery store. The kind of friend that will speak truth into your life, even if you may not want to hear it. That kind of friend. The kind of friend that you can just do life with.
Don't get me wrong - I have been blessed beyond measure with several deep friendships. Joy has been as close as a sister from the time we were 4 and 5 years old. Cami came along during my teenage years, and has put up with me ever since. And then in college, Beth came alongside me, and we've laughed together and cried together for the past 22 years. None of these beautiful and wonderful women live anywhere near me. And so I started praying for yet another friend, one that lived nearby.
Within a few months, Nathan and Karen came into our lives in a somewhat unconventional way. Karen started working in the department in which I was the trainer at the time. Nathan was just moving here from Australia to marry her. And a friendship was slowly born - a gracious God answered my prayer.
Not all friends would make dessert for my extended family Easter, because I was too busy to do it. Not all friends would trust me with their tender, young children. Not all friends would offer me a place in the delivery room, because she knows I will never experience childbirth for myself. Not all friends would hand me a bag of freezer meals, just because. Not all friends would play games with me long into the night. Not all friends would play cards with me all day. Not all friends would laugh with me at the silliness of life. Not all friends would cry with me over the pain of an aging parent. Not all friends would challenge me to do life better. Not all friends would allow me to challenge them to do life better. Not all friends would chit-chat about everything and nothing all at once for hours at a time.
Karen is that friend, and today is Karen's 30th birthday. Happy birthday to an inspiring friend, amazing mother of four, and a great wife. I can't wait to see what the next 10 years brings! And just so you know, I'll always, always be willing to beat you in a game of Hand and Foot.
