Well done...

I have a lot of incredible friends. They are women that inspire me and make me want to be a better person, a better friend and a better mom. I have had the privilege of walking beside many wonderful women while they experienced some really tough stuff. I have prayed with all of them. Cried with most and been righteously angry with some. But, it is no doubt that I have been blessed to know them all.


I have a friend who has done some intense counseling the last few years to deal with some painful issues from her past. She worked hard and kept pushing through until she found freedom. I told her that she even looks different. You can see the difference in her countenance. Well done, my friend!


I have a friend who found herself getting a divorce after 28 years of marriage. She moved out of her house and sought Godly counsel. She had worked all of her life and was able to buy a house of her own. She has opened her home for teenage foster children and unwed mothers. She has offered a safe haven for others. I called her last weekend and asked her to help another one of my friends who was in desperate need of a safe place to live. She said yes without hesitation. Well done, my friend!


I have a friend who married her best friend right after college. They were living life and raising kids. Life took a few unexpected turns and her husband turned to alcohol. She knew God was calling her to stay in the marriage. It was hard. It was long. We prayed and cried out to God for almost 4 years. She was obedient and He was faithful. She told me not long ago after a particularly good weekend that she was finally beginning to see a glimpse of her best friend again. Well done, my friend!


I have a friend who lived a really hard life. She had a daughter who was living with a girl who had a very rough set of friends. She was in her bathroom in the house when the boyfriend came in and began to attack the other girl. He shot. The bullet went through the wall and killed my friend's daughter. After lots of years and lots of prayer and lots of healing; my friend went to the prison to see the person who killed her daughter. She forgave him. She told him so. She started a grief ministry that now is in several different churches. She has a granddaughter that is named for her beloved daughter. Well done, my friend!


I have a friend that came from an abusive and hard background. She made a lot of bad choices. She turned to drugs. She met a man that wanted to love her and help her. They got married. She got help. They came to our church and heard the Word of God preached very clearly. They found Jesus. She has 6 kids. She homeschools. She has worked with a ministry that reaches out to women in the adult entertainment business. They go into clubs and love on these women. She is amazing. Well done, my friend!


I have a friend who went on the mission field as a grandmother. Her and her husband served for several years in the middle east. She came home and was looking for a way to reach the people group that she had left. She started going to an apartment ministry that our church does. She reached out to the women there and formed a ministry to teach them to sew handbags. Very nice handbags. They make them with donated material. They are beautiful. They sell them so that these women can help provide for their families. In the process, the women learn English. They learn about life in the United States and they learn about the love of Jesus. Well done, my friend!


I have a friend who was born into a Muslim family. She met Jesus in a dream. She made a decision to give her life to Him. She lives with her husband and children who do not share her views. She came to my Bible Study. She has prayed beautiful prayers over me and my family in Arabic. She loves Jesus. She loves people. She helps so many women who are struggling and she has an amazing outlook on life. Well done, my friend!


I have friends who have experienced really hard things. I have friends who have been blessed beyond measure. I know women who are incredible mothers. I know women who are pouring into their grandchildren.  I know women who are making a difference in the business world. I know women who have chosen to raise their children on the mission field. I know women who are preparing to go to another country to share their lives with others. I know women who are raising their children by themselves and doing a great job. They are all living a calling. They are making a difference. They are loving others with a Love that offers freedom. I love them all. And they love well.


That is what I want to do. Love well. To offer what I have. To help when I can and to be a friend at all times. Thank you, my friends, for setting the example.

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! 

You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. 
Come and share your master's happiness!' 
Matthew 25:21