Psalm 37:4 “Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Lamentations 3:22-23 “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”
One of my heart’s desires is the gift of true friendship in Christ. My friend Lisa is a longterm friend in Christ and former partner in ministry. (She is pictured on the left end of the photo.) Our earthly and heavenly friendship has stood the hard tests of time and distance. When recently she sang “Great is Thy Faithfulness” with my daughter Charlotte (also her former student) at a celebration of ministry, the moment can only be described as the delight of my heart because of a bond of friendship that Jesus formed long ago, more than 20 years ago. The eternal impact Lisa has had in my life and the life of my daughter, and eventually my son, is unsurpassed.
I have been to Orlando to see my friend Lisa several times since she moved there. Granted, it is not too shabby to have a friend to visit who is headquartered in sunny Florida!! But, it’s much more than that. In one of her capacities – she is a gifted voice teacher and I was privileged to be hanging around on an afternoon when she taught several voice students. I was blessed to be reminded of how God has used Lisa to lift many hearts and voices many times through the gift of music for His glory!
Because of Christ, His mercy has come through her to me. These mercies in my life are too numerous to count – Lisa’s hospitality, sense of humor, generosity, listening ear, loyalty, co-parenting, prayer, North Carolina accent (I love to hear it), cuisine, “Olive Garden” love, beloved teacher-student relationships, love for the Lord, sense of justice, value of family, beautiful alto soloing (you should hear her sing “Revelation Song”- Kari Jobe), dedicated mothering and sistering and daughtering, Proverbs 31 character as a wife to Alan, undying friendship. Mercies.
A wise woman once told me that people only have 5 or less dear genuine friends in a lifetime if they are fortunate. The ones that are there for you no matter what. The ones you call when you need help. The ones that appreciate you as well as understand your shortcomings. The ones who share Christ. The ones who you can talk to about deep spiritual realities. The ones you know you’ll be with in eternity. The ones that make you laugh and cry. Lisa is one.
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