Latest / Fostering Faith / We’re In This Together: Friendship, Generosity & Showing Up in Hard Seasons”

Transcript

We’re In This Together: Friendship, Generosity & Showing Up in Hard Seasons” · Fostering Faith

0:00
Welcome back to Fostering Faith. My name is Tracie
0:03
Foster and I am here in my most favorite place
0:06
with one of my best friends, Nicole. And so we
0:10
have an episode for you today as we have been
0:13
walking just through life together about friendship
0:15
and generosity, showing up in the hard seasons.
0:18
And so welcome back. If you've never been here,
0:21
my name is Tracy Foster. I am your host for Fostering
0:23
Faith. And if it feels like your life is a little
0:26
bit upside down, a little messy, and you're trying
0:28
to love Jesus while figuring out what to cook
0:31
for dinner, you're in the right place. And I'm
0:33
Nicole, and same. If your friendships are complicated,
0:37
your group chat has been silent for weeks, or
0:40
you're feeling like nobody sees you in your hard
0:42
season, buckle up. This episode is for you. And
0:46
today we're going to be honest about something
0:48
that we all, I think that we walk through. Hard
0:50
parts of friendship, showing up when it's uncomfortable,
0:53
being generous when it actually costs you something,
0:55
and loving people whenever you're at your lowest,
0:58
when they're at their lowest, and even whenever
1:01
we don't know what to say. Right, and we're gonna
1:03
bring the Bible to back it up, so buckle up.
1:06
We're gonna talk theology, some real pain stuff,
1:09
and a full lot of Jesus. And I'll probably be
1:13
the one providing the humor today, because let's
1:15
be real, Tracy's deep, but she's not always that
1:17
funny. Excuse me, I am hilarious. I laugh at
1:21
myself all the time. But also fair. I am more
1:25
of a serious type of person. I do laugh at my
1:27
own jokes. And so I do laugh a lot. And so, all
1:31
right, so let's start with this. And so what
1:32
does the Bible actually say about friendship?
1:35
Because spoiler alert, it's not about being nice.
1:38
It's about a covenant. Proverbs 17, 17 says,
1:42
a friend loves at all times and a brother is
1:45
born for adversity, not convenience, adversity.
1:49
Right? It's about a covenant love, like the Hebrew
1:52
word Ahava, which is love. It's loyal and it's
1:56
enduring. It's a deep kind of love, the kind
1:58
of love that costs you something. It's echoed
2:01
through all of scripture, right? It's shown in
2:04
Ruth and Naomi. It's shown in Jonathan and David,
2:07
even Jesus and his disciples. But I don't want
2:10
you to miss this. And so in that verse, adversity
2:13
isn't a glitch. It's Proving ground, you know
2:17
whenever you're with people and not whenever
2:19
you things are easy, but then things are falling
2:21
apart and They stay away. And so whenever you're
2:25
looking at love, we know that there's three different
2:27
types of love in scripture We have agape love
2:29
we have filet. Oh love we have airco slough and
2:32
so as we are looking at that type of agape love
2:36
and That love that only God has for us. Do you
2:40
feel like a person could have? What kind of love
2:44
do you feel like you have for most of your friendships?
2:47
Lots of friendships that I have are maybe surface
2:51
level friendships. I don't know that Transparently
2:55
that I have a lot of friendships that would be
2:57
a hava love like Love that costs me something
3:01
right? I mean I have family. I have a good close
3:03
circle of friends I don't know bounce that question
3:07
back to you. How do you feel in your life? I
3:10
mean, and so I think that there is, I mean, I
3:12
think that we have filet -o -love. And so if
3:14
you go back into scripture and you can see what
3:17
he said, do you love me? You know, whenever he's
3:20
talking to Paul and he's like, do you love me
3:24
after he denied him three times? And he was like,
3:27
you knew, you know, I love you. But whenever
3:29
you look back into the Greek and Hebrew, it's
3:31
filet -o -love, it's brotherly love. He didn't
3:33
have agape love. And so I think that to have
3:36
a friendship of a phileo love, that same type
3:41
of love that Jesus and Paul had for each other,
3:46
I do feel like we need to start actually loving
3:51
people. It's sacrificial love though, right?
3:53
Like it's a love that costs you something. Can
3:55
you say that you have lots of friendships that
3:57
are like that? I don't want lots of friendships.
3:59
I have my tribe and I don't need much more. But
4:03
I will love you where you're at. I'm going to
4:05
love you. But as far as sacrificial love, I think
4:08
that maybe we need to be better at that. Oh,
4:14
I don't disagree. I think that there are opportunities
4:17
though that we show sacrificial love to people
4:21
without knowing that we do it, right? Because
4:24
that's just who we are and how we live. Like
4:26
it's built in. Yeah. Through generosity, through
4:30
servant. A servant heart. Well, and I think,
4:33
too, that whenever our friendship gets hard,
4:35
you can pack up your bags and walk away. But
4:38
that's life, right? You're like, you're maybe
4:41
a little crazy for me. I'm out. You know, but,
4:44
you know, they go through something and you stick
4:46
by them. and allow them to see what real love
4:50
is and so if they've ever had a friendship where
4:52
they've you know broken up or you know things
4:54
went awry and we're not saying stay in toxic
4:56
relationships. but you know going toe to toe
5:00
with somebody and like I'm here for the long
5:02
haul like I love you we're in this together you
5:05
know it's the it's the friendships that last
5:07
for decades so that kind of leads us into like
5:10
what do you do when someone you love is just
5:13
really going through it right depression sickness
5:15
divorce financial stroke like all those things
5:18
custody battles like you have no idea what to
5:21
say or what to do for them so what do you do
5:24
when someone you love is going through that I
5:27
mean, so you show up. You don't wait until it's
5:32
the perfect words because love doesn't need a
5:35
script. You know, sometimes love, it's just a
5:38
knock on the door and you sit on the couch. I
5:41
mean, it's, you just show up and you cry together.
5:45
It's that you show up and you're just like, you
5:47
don't need to say anything. And I'm just gonna
5:49
lay in bed with you. Yeah, I love the scripture
5:53
reference and the story of the book of Job and
5:55
how Job just, man, he was in a valley. I mean,
5:59
he was in the thick of it, in the down and lost
6:02
everything, lost literally everything, right?
6:06
And Job 2 .13 says that his friends, like his
6:10
people, sat with him for seven days and didn't
6:13
say a word because they saw how great his suffering
6:16
was. I mean, exactly. And so I mean, so that's
6:19
called theology in presence. And so sometimes
6:21
in your presence, in your ministry, that's that's
6:24
your ministry, like your presence is your ministry,
6:26
your your silence is your ministry, sometimes
6:28
just being there, holding a hand, you know, or
6:32
a text message, I'm here. And whenever you're
6:34
ready, that's whenever God can use that to break
6:38
through that despair to just be like, you know
6:40
what, silence is also to sometimes the best medicine.
6:43
And so just you being there or if you have a
6:49
fight with your kid or like there's words and
6:52
like the door is slammed and you simply just
6:55
sit outside the door so whenever they open up
6:58
that door you're there and we were I was we were
7:03
in a we're going through hormonal situations
7:07
at home and it was I could see that she was going
7:11
through something and she was mad and she went
7:14
and she slammed, you know the door and because
7:18
she doesn't know how to express all the things
7:19
that she's that she's feeling and so I let her
7:23
stew for a second and I Just walked in I walked
7:27
into a room and sat on the door or sat on her
7:29
bed and just and just stared at her And just
7:31
looked at her and she just broke down and she
7:34
wept and she cried and at the end of the conversation
7:36
that we Walked through she was just like You
7:39
came you didn't say anything But just knowing
7:43
that you were here for me That mental and that
7:46
meant a lot. Yeah, that's so good. I think so
7:49
many times even just a hug Makes all the different
7:53
you don't have to say anything, right? Emotions
7:56
are real and they're big but they're also our
8:01
Reaction and so I think there's always a deeper
8:05
route, right? So trying to just get to What that
8:08
deeper route is what I hurt your feelings. Okay,
8:10
I understand you're angry. You're frustrated
8:12
You're whatever but but there's something deeper
8:14
happening here So just trying to like dig and
8:17
chip away at what that looks like and I mean
8:19
and I mean a hug is the best medicine sometimes.
8:23
I mean, a smile is great, a hug. We have patients
8:27
that come in the office and at the end of their
8:29
visits, they're like, I'm not leaving without
8:31
a hug. This is what I come for. You say great
8:34
things, but your hugs mean the world to me. And
8:38
it's just like, some people don't know what a
8:43
hug feels like. They have no one in their life
8:44
to love on them, love them deep. We've had several
8:48
people that have come in and I tell every new
8:51
patient that they are loved because they are
8:53
loved. In my office, they are loved. And I mean,
8:56
I've had people cry in my office because they've
8:59
never been told that. Well, to be honest, I mean,
9:01
the world tells us the exact opposite of that,
9:03
right? The world loves to hate and loves to spew
9:07
negativity and just ugliness. So what does it
9:12
hurt to love people, right? It causes it causes
9:16
you to actually break down walls It's it creates
9:19
a place of vulnerability and we are not a society
9:22
of where we want to be vulnerable We want to
9:24
do all the things and we came back from Mexico
9:27
with your daughter and I said I love the fact
9:31
that everybody like There was a family that everybody
9:34
just walked up and kissed and hugged and like,
9:36
you know, like they were just having breakfast
9:37
They all left the same room and then they're
9:39
walking in. I'm like, and so I told you that
9:41
I'm like, I think that we're going to start like
9:43
walking up to people and like, oh my gosh, how
9:45
are you? And just like giving you a kiss and
9:47
hug and just like being more like generous with
9:51
our affection and our time and how we respond
9:55
to people. I mean, so your generosity of your
9:58
love and your time to me is more precious than
10:02
money. I mean, I tell the kids that and youth
10:05
all the time. What is the most Precious gift
10:08
that you have your time for sure your time is
10:12
in and how you how you give that and how that
10:16
that spills out into the Generosity because kids
10:19
don't have they don't have money. They got time.
10:21
They got talent Well, let's flip the script for
10:23
a second and talk about generosity like we live
10:26
in a world where we think that generosity Pretty
10:29
much only means money But generosity isn't just
10:32
money. I mean, like you said, it's giving whatever
10:34
it is that you have. Those kids don't have a
10:36
lot of money. Some of them don't, right? They're
10:38
too young. They don't have our kids. They're
10:40
not old enough to have jobs. So they have money.
10:42
It's mom's money. Yes, and they don't have money
10:46
because they're not willing to work for that
10:47
money. Well, also true. And so, yeah, you don't
10:49
have to have a million dollars to be generous.
10:52
You have time. You give time. You have if you
10:55
don't have that margin you give it and so whenever
10:58
you're talking about like all they got was a
11:00
casserole Then give the casserole. I mean if
11:03
you're if you have generosity in showing up to
11:06
serve God can use whatever you are willing to
11:10
show up with it doesn't have to be Magical or
11:13
special you have a talent that no one else has
11:16
I mean so God will use that if you let him and
11:19
so it's not about being stingy with like I only
11:22
have, no, you have an amazing casserole in your
11:25
fridge. You have an amazing talent to show up
11:27
whatever it is. And so God can use whatever you're
11:31
willing to show up with. Yeah, the book of James
11:34
is a good explanation. James 2, 15 through 16
11:38
says, suppose a brother or sister is without
11:40
clothes and daily food. If one of you says to
11:43
them, go in peace, keep warm and well fed, but
11:46
you don't. do anything you do nothing then what
11:49
what good is it you just tell people to kind
11:51
of go figure it out what good is that right that's
11:54
not generosity it's kind of avoidance just wrapped
11:57
up in spiritual words i mean yeah you don't need
12:02
to say more christian things we need to be more
12:05
christian like we need to do more christian like
12:08
things yeah that's good and so action um and
12:10
so you out you can say all the christianese i
12:14
think is what they say is um but we need to do
12:18
more Christian, Christ -like things. And so our
12:22
whole objective is to be a mirror image of Christ.
12:26
So it really is about not like, oh yeah, that's
12:30
great that you don't have food, but there's a
12:32
food pantry there, but I'm not willing to give
12:34
you a ride to go get it. I mean, so, I mean,
12:36
if you have a vehicle, that's generosity. That's
12:39
about giving people rides. That's... That's showing
12:41
your love in that love language. What about those
12:43
situations though where you are doing those things
12:46
or you feel like you are, right? You feel like
12:48
you're being generous. You feel like you're praying
12:50
a lot. They say pray constantly. That almost
12:53
feels impossible as a human, but you feel like
12:57
you're doing all the things, but the situation
12:59
doesn't change. What you're praying for just
13:01
doesn't get better. What about when God feels
13:04
silent? And those, I think, are the moments of
13:08
even if. Even if even if God doesn't even if
13:13
we don't get this and so it says, you know He
13:17
is out of our time spectrum And so we're down
13:19
here saying that we're put him in praying for
13:21
20 years, but it's been 20 seconds to him We've
13:24
been saying that we've been down here for you
13:25
know, a decade doing this and he's like no, it's
13:29
been five seconds I'm out of your time schedule.
13:31
This is My ways are greater than your ways. My
13:34
timeline is is not of your timeline. I have perfect
13:37
timing I'm seeing everything and we have to remember
13:40
that even if God doesn't he is still great and
13:44
so it is about having those hands that worship
13:47
and you know as everyone is seeing that the the
13:51
hard hallelujah, it is about those times whenever
13:55
you feel like God is not there, he is there.
13:57
That is the lie, the enemy wants to tell you,
14:01
and so you know that he is at your right side
14:03
because he says that I will never leave you,
14:06
I will never forsake you, I am right here at
14:08
your right hand, I love you, and so whenever
14:12
that enemy twists the little bit of truth that
14:15
you have, We know what he says and we know that
14:19
he is faithful We know that he is the same God
14:22
that he was today that he was yesterday and ever
14:25
whenever we have that opportunity to praise praise
14:29
changes the atmosphere and it changes you and
14:33
so we have to go into even if God doesn't That's
14:38
where we have to dig in. Yeah, I think that's
14:41
That's like a true Christian friendship right
14:44
is like just reminding the other person who's
14:48
in this icky situation of feeling or season,
14:52
whatever you want to call it, like even if it
14:55
feels like God's doing nothing, I'm still here.
14:58
Even if your son, daughter, cousin, brother,
15:01
aunt, mom, whoever doesn't come back to faith,
15:04
like I'm still praying for that. I'm still expectant.
15:07
I still know that God is good and that he's going
15:10
to, you know, see this through. Even when, you
15:14
know, like you just talked about time, like Time
15:17
on Earth is so ridiculous compared to God's time.
15:23
Like, we put this on a 24 -hour daily schedule
15:25
of like, I need this to happen by 3 p .m. on
15:28
Thursday, and if it doesn't, then, you know,
15:30
the world is gonna end. But it's his timing,
15:33
right? It's his schedule. And so even when we're
15:37
in seasons that feel like it lasts longer than
15:40
we expect it to, or we put him on a timer, then...
15:43
You know, we're still showing up. We're still
15:45
being present with with those people Yeah, and
15:47
that's where that even if you know theology kicks
15:50
in and you know We remember in daniel 3 when
15:52
shadrach mijac and abednego They say our god
15:55
is able to deliver us. But even if he doesn't
15:59
We will not bow and so they were deeply rooted
16:04
in even if No, i'm i'm ten toes in like I am
16:08
ten toes in this in this friendship. I'm not
16:11
gonna let you give up I'm not gonna let you do
16:13
You know what you say that you you want to give
16:15
me your goals, but then you don't want to do
16:17
anything to you know, put forth those goals,
16:19
you know, even if and so having that mindset
16:21
of even if God doesn't I'm going to be that friend
16:25
to that's going to stand in in the intercessory
16:28
for you. Even if you don't show up for life,
16:31
I'm going to pray for you. Yeah, even if you
16:33
don't show up for yourself. I'm going to be the
16:35
friend that says this is what this is what scripture
16:37
says. Well, in these Bible stories, like this
16:40
Daniel 3 with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
16:42
it's such a popular story. Most people probably
16:45
know at least some of it, but I always like to
16:48
think about that moment about what would that
16:51
look like, right? So what would that look like
16:53
if Meshach and Abednego weren't there and it
16:55
was only Shadrach in the fire? Would he, without
16:58
having good people around him, were they there
17:01
to be the encouragers? We don't know because
17:03
the Bible doesn't tell us, right? and Shadrach
17:05
wasn't there by himself, but I just like to think
17:07
about that. Like, if it were just one of them,
17:10
and, you know, would the story still be the same?
17:13
Do you think that maybe Meshach and Abednego,
17:15
or vice versa, maybe Shadrach and Abednego, or
17:17
whoever? you know, kind of encouraged and was
17:20
like, no, no, no, like, God's gonna show up.
17:21
No, no, no, we can face this fire. No, no, no,
17:24
you know, just kind of encouraging each other.
17:26
Well, and I think that we have mentioned it so
17:27
many times on this podcast is that you are who
17:29
you surround yourself with. Yeah. I mean, and
17:31
there's so many like even studies that are out
17:33
there that prove like, you know, find your closest
17:35
three to five friends and that's where you're
17:37
gonna go. And so if you have people that are
17:39
believing In what you're believing for they're
17:43
gonna, you know iron sharpens iron And so if
17:45
you have people that you're hanging around with
17:47
that do not have ten toes in faith Yes, you can
17:50
help maybe sharpen them. But if they are gonna
17:52
be like no, bro Like that's no like he's not
17:54
gonna show up like, you know You have to have
17:56
people that you surround yourself with that you
17:58
guys are kind of going in that same direction
18:01
And we were meant for community. We were meant
18:03
to surround ourselves with people and to love
18:05
people and love people hard and just show the
18:08
love that God gave us. And so he fills us up.
18:11
And so we fill up the others. And so gospel is
18:14
an action. And so because God didn't give up
18:16
on us, whenever we didn't, you know, change fast,
18:20
he stayed. He pursued and he died. for us while
18:25
we were still all sinners, you know, and I'm
18:28
in Romans right now. I read through Romans and
18:30
went through kind of the Older New Testament.
18:32
I'm like, I got to go back and revisit that that
18:35
Romans because there's so much there's so much
18:37
in Romans. I think that we can just glean on
18:40
and and really dive in and really kind of get
18:43
that that spiritual discipline to to know where
18:49
to go to in scripture to to re fall in love with
18:52
Christ every day. And I think that friendships
18:54
need spiritual discipline, too. Well, yeah, I
18:57
think friendship is a spiritual discipline, right?
18:59
I mean, it's not just something that you fall
19:01
into. It's something that you have to, like,
19:03
actually, you have to farm it. You have to plow
19:05
the ground, right? You have to be intentional
19:08
in friendships and forgive each other and hold
19:10
each other accountable and pray for one another.
19:12
Like, there's a lot more that goes into a friendship
19:14
than just... checking a box to say like, yep,
19:16
I'll be your friend. Like, I mean, absolutely.
19:19
And listen, and so the early church didn't grow
19:21
because of flashy sermons and cool stages and
19:24
lights. It grew because people loved other people
19:28
radically. I mean, you have Acts 2 45 that says,
19:31
you know, they sold their possessions and gave
19:33
to everyone who had need. And so, I mean, whenever
19:36
you're in a friendship, you have to have that,
19:38
like, you know, You have to have that time. I
19:41
mean, just like you need your time with Christ,
19:42
you need your time with your best friends to
19:44
grow and mature that relationship. I mean, so
19:46
with its discipline and saying, hey, we're going
19:47
to have a friend date night every Friday in your
19:51
shop, then that's what we're going to do. And
19:53
you show up for each other and you can have,
19:54
you know, that that session of talking, you know,
19:57
because texting just eats through my brain. You're
20:00
so good at that, though, like you're you're so
20:03
good at being an intentional friend. That's something
20:06
that I. Struggle with which I think our love
20:09
languages are way different. So I think that
20:11
also plays into a little bit of that but Yeah,
20:16
that's that's something that you're really good
20:18
at is being an intentional friend is finding
20:19
the time carving the time in whether that means
20:22
you're Driving half an hour to my house or you
20:25
know stopping by the shop because I'm at work
20:27
But you you're really good at that but else that's
20:30
and that's also too I think because to love To
20:35
love of friendship to love a person you have
20:38
to meet them where they're at You have to meet
20:41
them and be willing to go out of your way Yeah,
20:43
I can sit at home on my couch and just be with
20:45
my family But it's about like I've not seen her
20:47
this week. I need to talk to her We need to see
20:49
about her how her week is we you know What can
20:52
I add to the prayer list this week? You know
20:53
and so to to show someone to show up to me is
20:58
showing love yeah, because I I don't know, I
21:02
mean, to me, if I show up in person, that's better
21:06
than a text message. That's better. Well, it's
21:08
your presence, right? Because, I mean, every
21:12
time, every time you come into the place, whether
21:16
expectant or unexpected, I leave. Feeling higher
21:20
right I leave more I leave blessed because of
21:24
your presence present your presence matters,
21:25
but I think that's you know I think but I think
21:28
that's where that iron sharpens iron because
21:30
I think that's how you know if even if opposites
21:33
do attract because as you are the Funner one
21:38
out of this conversation You know, we I think
21:42
that we balance we have we we have we're balanced
21:46
and so Does that mean that we are polished Christians?
21:50
Absolutely not. Are we growing in our faith?
21:52
Are we maturing in our faith? Are we? Encouraging
21:55
each other are we edifying? each other and and
22:00
so it's about having those friendships that build
22:02
you up that is that is just you know, you're
22:04
always gonna be are always gonna have a cheerleader
22:06
in your corner now and are we going to correct
22:10
each other if one of us have a real dumb idea.
22:12
Well, that's part of it, though, right? Like,
22:13
holding each other accountable. I mean, that's
22:15
part of it. Yes. And I think that in the forgiveness,
22:18
it's about, like, you know, forgiving people
22:21
that show a plate. That wasn't a dig or anything
22:24
It's about having that intentional that intentionality
22:28
but also knowing that you have someone in your
22:30
corner that you have an intercessor that is praying
22:33
for you praying for your family praying for for
22:36
wisdom and protection and guidance and that you're
22:39
walking through tough seasons and knowing that
22:44
The grace and mercy that God has given you you're
22:48
extending out to that friend because we're not
22:50
perfect. We're not Man, there's no better feeling
22:53
though, you know, to wake up in the morning,
22:55
you open your eyes, I go to the bathroom immediately
22:58
and then go to my Bible or whatever, devotional
23:02
for the day. But there's no better feeling than
23:05
me being able... to pray to God for other people,
23:12
right? To specifically pray over you and your
23:14
family, but also to know that while I'm doing
23:16
those things, that I'm also receiving those things,
23:20
right? Because that's... That's what a Christian
23:23
friendship should look like. We're praying for
23:24
each other. Well, and that's what we had talked
23:26
about that in class the other day was just like,
23:28
you know, we were talking about proverbs and,
23:31
you know, just mothers that just pray for their
23:33
kids. And and one of the kids said that they
23:35
didn't think that they're that they got prayed
23:37
for. And I'm like, you've lost your mind. I said,
23:39
I pray for you every day. I may not be your mom,
23:42
but I am your spiritual mom. And I said, you
23:44
are covered in prayer before your feet hit the
23:46
floor in the morning. Please know this. And I
23:48
mean, his little eyes lit up. Like, he just saw,
23:51
he was like, and he couldn't believe that someone
23:54
else was praying for him. And I just think that
23:57
the discipline of praying for those that may
24:00
not have other people praying for, and the discipline
24:03
of showing up to God every day, showing up before
24:05
your feet hit the floor, that you are in prayer.
24:07
And so if you're listening right now and you
24:09
feel like you don't have that kind of friend,
24:12
I want to say to you, God sees you. He doesn't,
24:15
He's not forgotten you. And we have Proverbs
24:17
18, 24 that says, There is a friend who sticks
24:20
closer than a brother. And that's Jesus. I mean,
24:23
so not only is he our Heavenly Father, not only
24:26
is he our Abba, not only is he, he is our friend.
24:29
He is the the savior of you. And and he is right
24:35
there. He's never left you. You are never alone.
24:38
Please, please, please hear my heart. You are
24:41
not alone. Yeah. So I love giving practical tips.
24:46
It's like my favorite thing to do is something
24:48
that you can actually tangibly go and do to be
24:51
a better friend, right? Or to try to be a practical,
24:55
the practical ways to be a better friend. Um,
24:59
number one is just text them, like reach out
25:01
to somebody. Surely after listening to this podcast,
25:05
somebody has kind of crossed your mind and what
25:08
a blessing it would be for you to reach out to
25:09
them and just say, Hey, I'm going to pray for
25:11
you this week. Or, hey, I'm praying for your
25:14
kiddo this week. But then, don't stop there.
25:17
Don't just text and say, I'm gonna do it. Like,
25:19
actually take the time to actually pray for them,
25:22
right? Drop off groceries at somebody's house.
25:26
That's a great, great thing. I would love it
25:28
if somebody would just drop a gallon of milk
25:29
off at my house randomly. That would be incredible.
25:32
Actually, I saw, and I think I told you about
25:34
it a while back, there was a Facebook thing that
25:37
kept circulating about grief groceries. And it
25:40
was like this beautiful friendship to where the
25:44
friend had someone pass away. Um, and the other
25:47
friend kept saying like, what can I do? How can
25:49
I help? You know? And when you're in that season,
25:51
you don't know, you don't know how to answer.
25:53
You're just hurting. Right. And so the other
25:55
friend just literally bought groceries. They
25:57
had no idea what the friend needed, just bought
25:59
the essentials and dropped them off. And they,
26:01
it circulated Facebook and it was called grief
26:03
groceries. And it was just the sweetest thing.
26:06
Um, what about inviting someone like into your
26:09
messy? right into the life that that doesn't
26:12
look Instagram perfect like how about just allowing
26:15
somebody to come over knowing your house is a
26:17
flipping mess that's okay it's okay it's lived
26:20
in it's not dirty right not filthy um or what
26:24
about uh not saying like let me know if you need
26:28
something that's one of my i try not to do that
26:31
i try so bad like Because people aren't going
26:33
to let you know, right? Most people aren't going
26:35
to reach out and let you know what they need.
26:37
But instead, just offer something specific. Hey,
26:40
can I pick your kid up from practice today? Take
26:42
a burden off of the other person. And remember
26:47
this. And so you're thinking like, what's the
26:50
text going to do? What is dropping off a gallon
26:53
of milk going to do? Your little act of faithfulness
26:55
may be the answer to someone's desperate prayer.
26:59
You don't underestimate the ministry of a meal
27:01
of a walk. of a hug, of a voicemail at just the
27:05
right time. If God has put a name on your heart
27:07
or whatever, please just reach out. I mean, there's
27:11
so many times that like randomly, even just this
27:14
week, a person's name just randomly kind of showed
27:17
up in my heart. And so I just reached out immediately
27:20
because I've learned my lesson not to listen
27:21
to God. And so I reached out, I said, hey, your
27:24
name randomly came on my heart. Are you okay?
27:26
And she said nope just you being you another
27:29
answer to my prayer because I was in prayer last
27:31
night about this and you know, and You show up
27:36
whenever I need validation from God. So nope,
27:39
you did your job. Thanks. And so it really is
27:42
and so just a simple text Hey, how are you? Your
27:44
your name is on my heart. And so please or hey,
27:47
you want to go for a walk? Hey You look like
27:50
you need a hug and like we talked about before
27:52
hug can be the best medicine um and a voicemail
27:57
just to hear someone's voice we just talked about
27:59
that yesterday actually i have a lot of saved
28:02
voicemails from people just so just so i have
28:05
them and uh i was just talking to grandpa ron
28:08
yesterday and he said well how far back to those
28:11
texts or do those voicemails go and i said 2013
28:14
like i have voicemails saved from 2013 on my
28:17
phone of him just Just asking how my day was
28:20
and he was just calling to check in but it's
28:22
things that I want to keep and I want to remember.
28:24
I have snapchats of my grandma and like they're
28:28
like the best memories. I love them and so Gia
28:31
can still hear her voice and but yeah and then
28:34
they can go back to that voice message that says
28:37
I love you. I'm here for you and so whenever
28:40
they're feeling lonely at two o 'clock in the
28:42
morning and they don't want to call you they
28:44
can like turn on that voice message and just
28:45
be like I am loved, I am seen. Yeah, for sure.
28:50
Relationships, friendships, it's all, it's hard,
28:52
it's messy, it's dealing with people, right?
28:54
Generosity is costly. Loving people through their
28:58
worst seasons is just not glamorous, but it's
29:02
kingdom, right? It's what Jesus modeled. Yeah,
29:06
I mean, so let's be those people. Let's love
29:08
like it matters. Let's show up. Even when it's
29:11
inconvenient and you have to drive the 30 minutes.
29:13
You have to do the things you have to carry.
29:15
Let's carry the gospel and not just in sermons.
29:19
What about loving one another? Yeah, and you
29:23
know, just remember that we're not alone. Like
29:26
God is with us. The Holy Spirit empowers us.
29:29
And when we show up for other people, then God
29:31
shows up through us. And you know what? You're
29:36
loved. We love you guys. We want you to keep
29:40
fostering your faith. We want to keep your friendships
29:43
growing and we Want to pray for you for next
29:46
week. And so we hope that you guys have enjoyed
29:48
this episode We want you to keep living keep
29:51
even if gospeling and allowing those people that
29:55
are need to be in your life Get a closer connection
29:57
love hard love when it's inconvenient And make
30:01
that that trip to town make that extra phone
30:04
call make that text allowing people to not feel
30:09
alone. Would you like to close us out in prayer?
30:12
Yeah, until next time. So give somebody a reason
30:15
to believe that love is still alive in this world.
30:18
Father, thank you for the opportunity to just
30:22
speak life. Over each other but also over those
30:25
who are listening to this podcast. Thank you
30:28
for encouraging friendships that are in my life
30:31
Thank you that you are good and you are loyal
30:35
and that you are just a God who can encourage
30:39
and build us up. God, I pray over every person
30:42
listening to this podcast now that if there's
30:45
someone out there feeling like, you know, they're
30:47
a burden or they're alone or they just can't
30:51
walk through this life anymore without some help,
30:55
that you would just send the right person the
30:57
right words to them that would just lift their
31:01
spirits and allow them to walk a little bit lighter
31:04
because of your hope, because of your joy, because
31:07
you have given that conversation to us. Thank
31:11
you for all that you are and all that you continue
31:14
to provide. In your name we pray, amen. Amen.
31:17
And so thank you so much for tuning in this week.
31:19
We love you guys. Have a great week and we will
31:21
see you next week. Bye.