Lunch With a Friend

I just got home from having lunch with one of my very sweet friends. Her name is Jennifer, but I know her as Slack. Slack is her maiden name. It was how I was introduced to her. And even though she is married now, she will always be Slack to me.

Slack and I met almost seven years ago when we were both working at Sonic. I was a newlywed and going to school. She was in college as well and home for the summer. I tell you this because the first few years of my marriage were not our best ones. Slack was there for me when I was upset with the husband. We got to be very close.

Now even though we live only thirty minutes apart, if that, we rarely see each other. We are both busy girls who just don't seem to take the initiative to get there. We've been known to call ourselves bad friends for this very reason.

Monday I decided I wanted to have lunch with her this week while I'm still on Christmas break. And today was the day. We met, ate, and enjoyed each other's company. After talking longer than we meant, probably making her late back to work, we left with promises to do it again soon. This is how we always leave each other. The last time we made this promise was in June.

This got me to thinking about relationships on the way home. I have a lot of relationships in my life. Some are closer than others. There are still some people in my life that I struggle to be completely open and honest with. Maybe I will never be that way with these people.

I hold a lot in. I keep a lot of things to myself for fear of what others will think. I know that I care way to much about other people's opinions, but I can't seem to change that about me no matter how hard I try. This affects my relationships. There are very few people that I can go to with anything. Slack is one of those people. She has seen my best and my worst and she loves me anyway. For that I love her.

Relationships are a two way street. There have been several times when I've told my husband "So and so didn't speak to me at all tonight." He always replies...then you didn't speak to them either. How true! We get out of a relationship what we put in. Relationships are work, at the least the good ones are. They don't just come naturally.

I have a relationship with God. It fluctuates. Sometimes I feel much closer to him than others. I know this is because of me and me alone. My God doesn't move. He doesn't change. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. (Hebrews 13:8) I love that about Him. Don't you? When my relationship suffers with God, it isn't because he isn't trying. He is always there, always desiring to spend time with me. But am I? Do I? Unfortunately the answer is no. More times than I would care to admit, I put my relationship with God on the back burner, thinking I'll do that when I get a free moment.

He should come first. All other relationships, all other things should come after my relationship with God. I've grown closer to God in 2010. I believe that. But I also no there is still so much room for this relationship to grow. My prayer for 2011 is to grow even closer to my Heavenly Father, to know Him a little better, to love Him a little more. Through growth in this one single relationship, I believe all my other relationships will grow as a result.

How are your relationships?