Day 104: Kindred

Every once in a while you will meet people who deeply shape who you are as a person. Sometimes it's instantaneous, and you know immediately that this person will impact your life in a great way. Other times, it's subtle, and roots grow deep even when the early stages of friendship seem to be steeped in gravel more than soil. Even better is when you barely know someone, but have a surreal connection to them that can't really be explained.

And to think, all of these instances are gifts from God.

It is something to behold when friendships are formed in ways that God had planned already for so long. Watching Him step into my story as of late, to bring certain people into my life, has only sustained my deep longing to know who He is more intimately.

It's a feeling that can bring me to my knees.

God is teaching me that He is willing to showcase His love for me wherever I look. Whether through a dear friend in California, one in Lake Oswego, or one who lives out in Hillsboro. He has everything in place to make me feel encouraged, loved, and appreciated.

Today, I had the chance to grab coffee with a woman I can only describe as joyful. We dug deep in getting to know each other, even though we hadn't really talked much before this conversation. We talked about the joy that God brings in the midst of real pain. Revival, family, heartache, saving faith, and Jesus were all melded together in conversation between gulps of coffee and wild, unashamed laughing.

I thought to myself: this is fellowship.

When God's people come together and talk about what He has done, and how great He is. That is what it is all about.

We bantered back and forth for almost two hours, and poured out intimate pieces of our lives only because we were comfortable through the bond that we shared as women, and new creations in Christ.

There is nothing that can't be said when you are in company like that.

And so I see today as a day of kindred spirits, but in the way that we share the spirit of Christ. It is amazing to realize that the same spirit that dwelled within Jesus while He was on the earth is in us, the both of us. And knowing that is comfort enough to walk through life in constant praise and thankfulness to the Lord for all He has done.

I am so grateful for the incredible friendship that God has blessed me with, and am so encouraged through all of it.

God is teaching me that He will always make His love known through those who love Him, and that is an incredible truth.

In Christ,

Lilia