Tag: friends

God Eavesdrops

~ Barbara ~ 1 Comment

Conversations with friends are certainly more intimate than those with neighbors or casual acquaintances. In times of weakness we would be embarrassed if our words were overheard but, hopefully more often, we share honest, intimate thoughts—feelings, hopes, disappointments.

Since we speak from the fullness of our hearts, words between Christians may include personal insights, fresh understanding, and Bible verses. Our conversations include encouragement, counsel, and opportunity to pray together. I can trace areas of personal growth back to conversations with friends who lovingly listened to my heart.

But they weren’t the only ones listening.

Malachi 3:16 tells me someone else heard our words and was equally impressed. I am warmed by the intimacy of Malachi’s revelation:  

Then those who feared [honored] the Lord spoke to one another,
and the Lord listened and heard them;
so a book of remembrance was written before Him
for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name.

God eavesdrops on our conversations! Not to find fault, but because He is blessed to hear us voicing our love and respect for Him. Think about a time you overheard someone say something complimentary about you. It’s even more precious because it wasn’t said directly to you but spoken in honor of you. Read the verse again in the MSG Bible:

Then those whose lives honored God got together and talked it over.
God saw what they were doing and listened in.
A book was opened in God’s presence and minutes were taken of the meeting,
with the names of the God-fearers written down,
all the names of those who honored God’s name.

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them,” Jesus (Matt. 18:20).

I am Thankful for Family

~ Barbara ~ 2 Comments

My husband and I have been married for 56 years. We raised five children and are blessed to love 11 grandchildren. They are the ones I love the deepest and pray for the longest. Rich and I are each one of five children which gives us a wide spectrum of nieces and nephews, near and far, whom I also love and pray for. In this large family, not one is perfect. Not one is without problems. Some have distanced themselves. But they are “my people” and I am profoundly thankful for each one.

Additionally, my “family” extends beyond those numbered above. I have friends who have walked beside me in my happiest experiences and through my greatest sorrows. They have balanced me and cheered me on. They have overlooked my flaws and embraced me in my inadequacies. They know me at my worst but believe the best for me. They are “my people” and I am profoundly thankful for each one.

Then there is my church, which proclaims, “This is home. We are family.” And so they are. We are united in faith, merged in worship, and joined in love. It’s a large church so I only know a small fraction of the people, but I can walk up to any one of them on a Sunday morning for a hug or a prayer. It is a safe place where together we learn and grow, give and receive, fall and get up. They are “my people” and I am profoundly thankful for each one.

In the broadest sense, I have “family” all around me, walking my neighborhood and circling the globe. Whether they acknowledge it or not, we are our brothers’ keepers and all trace back to Adam. Therefore I will pray for them, care for them, and support them as I am able. I will resist pigeonholing and refuse name calling because each one was made in the image of God—they too are “my people.”

You may not have a large (or loving) family but we are not meant to do life alone. I encourage you to stretch. Reach out and touch someone. Be a blessing. And be thankful for whomever God has given you.