The Blessing of a Friend

One of God’s most precious gifts are the friends that He gives us. I have one friend in particular who recently came into my life at a time when I was feeling lonely - having not had a good friend since before I got married over five years ago. In fact, I had been praying that the Lord would introduce me to someone with whom I would feel comfortable enough to share my heart. Of course, my husband is first and foremost my best friend. But it’s nice to have a woman in your life to share all the “girl stuff” and emotions that are unique to us gals.

This person has reminded me to always look for the joy in this life, because she always has a smile on her face. No matter what she is facing, she finds a way to praise the Lord in the midst of the trial. She encourages me to seek and point out the positive in others. She listens with a loving ear, but is not willing to “sugar coat” any situation and will tell me exactly what it is I need to hear –not necessarily what I want to hear! As busy as her schedule is, she will take the time to spend a few minutes with me or talk on the telephone when she knows I need a shoulder on which to cry or a sounding board to vent my frustrations.

She loves the Lord with all of her heart and it is so very apparent in the way she lives her life. No compromising. She practices what she preaches. Her ministries are too numerous for me to list, because she truly has a servant’s heart and is eager to jump in and help wherever and whenever she’s needed. In fact, she goes above and beyond the call –making extra food for church dinners, insuring that the platform is neat and orderly and all of our praise team music is arranged and in order. She puts paperclips in our hymnals so that we don’t have to fumble for the page when leading worship. She sings like an angel with a song that comes straight from her heart - and worship flows from within her. The Lord has gifted her with an incredible talent for singing and playing the piano and she blesses everyone who hears her sing.

She has such a heart for children and her passion for caring for little ones with special needs far outweighs any that I’ve seen before in my life. Seeing her interact with special needs kids, showing so much compassion....it melts my heart and brings tears to my eyes each time.

There are no words to describe how honored and blessed I am that the Lord has placed her in my life. She has uplifted me when I’ve needed a lift, she’s knocked me down a notch or two when I've needed knocked down. She has blessed me beyond measure with her ability to make me smile and encourage my spirit.

My prayer for her today is that the Lord will heap blessings upon her head and give back to her all that she gives to others. If you talk to Dawna today, wish her a Happy Birthday!

I love you my friend.

And finally, Dawna, you know you’re getting old when the candles on your birthday cake cost more than the cake! (Ah...you knew I couldn’t resist a wisecrack!) Happy Birthday!!