It's funny the way life is. Yesterday I had a beautiful gift given to me by a dear friend. She isn't an active member, and I have never been one to force her to church. I always believed that when the time was right she would be in church for the right reasons. But I didn't realize that I would be the one to tell her of that time.
I tried so hard to just be that supportive friend that never got mad if she didn't go to church. Be the friend who would invite but never pressured. I tried to be the friend that lead by example in hopes that she would follow. But when I started texting her telling her it was time to get her back to church, faith took hold of me.
It's funny the way life is.
It was right before sacrament, I looked up as we sang a verse of the hymn, and there she was. I'm sure the color (not that my face has much color...thanks Utah winter!) quickly left my face. Tears filled my eyes as she took her seat next to me. I wrapped my arm around her, told her how happy I was to see her, then gave a quick prayer of thanks. It's funny the way life is.
A few hours after church had finished we began texting. I, again, expressed how happy I was to see her walk through those doors. She teased me for crying, but then became serious when it came to the feelings she had pass through her. She wanted to change her life. She could feel this change within her grasp, but is too afraid to extend her arm and grab it. This was when I realized why I had been through the trials I had faced the past couple of years of my life. It was this moment, that I was being prepared for. It's funny the way life is.
As we talked, she began to ask how to change. She wasn't sure where to start or what to do. I began explaining my story. That for so long in life I tried to do it on my own. I tried to figure it all out and found that I was barely getting by. I tried to handle temptations, fears, and heart break on my own, but I was never ever enough. I couldn't do it all. I wasn't a superhero with unlimited strength or the ability to withstand and fight all evil. I was/am human. I make mistakes. I fall. I break. It wasn't until I began to tell my story that the thought came to me, "How can The Man who gave up his Only Begotten son, ever let me down?" He allowed His son to die for me. No, not just die, but be tortured and tormented beyond my comprehension; how could He ever give up on me when He allowed all that to happen. I just...never gave Him enough credit. I never...I never give Him the opportunity to hold me and quiet my fears. I never gave Him the opportunity to step in and take over. I was too busy trying to hide my problems, my fears and my worries from the rest of the world that I was also hiding them from my loving Father in Heaven. It's funny the way life is.
I can't tell you how this story is going to end. Her journey has just begun. But, the future is bright and although life is still hard and will continue to get harder, my faith is deepening and my love for Him who gave all, is expanding. It's funny the way life is.
