Cold Tangerines

I love this book I am reading.
When Eli and I were at National Youth Workers in November I saw this book, I thought it looked interesting. I decided to wait until I got home to pick it up, luckily I found it at Ollie's.

The author, Shauna Niequist, was one of the guests at the pre-conference. I had the opportunity to meet her and speak to her for a few minutes.

I just started reading the book in the past month. Thanks Valerie for the nudge.

It is simply amazing.

It is a collection of stories about God, life and about the thousands of daily ways in which an awareness of God changes and infuses everything.

I wouldn't say I am learning a lot it's more of coming to the realization of some things.

Eventually I would like to share all these things. But for now I will only share a few.

I am realizing that it really doesn't matter what others think about me or say about me. Jesus loves me no matter what. No matter what kind of junk surfaces. He knows everything about me even the stuff I try to hide from others.

A true friend will love you no matter what and is willing to work with you through your junk. And no matter what comes up a true friend will always talk things through with you. A true friend will tell you things to your face not behind your back. A true friend will fight for your friendship.

"Friendship is acting out God's love in tangible ways. We were made to represent the love of God in each other's lives, so that each person we walk through life with has a more profound sense of God's love for them. Friendship is an opportunity to act on God's behalf in the lives of the people that we're close to, reminding each other who God is. When we do the hard, intimate work of friendship, we bring a little more of the divine into daily life. We get to remind one another about the bigger, more beautiful picture that we can't always see from where we are."

" True friendship is a sacred, important thing, and it happens when we drop down into that deeper level of who we are, when we cross over into the broken, fragile parts of ourselves. We have to give something up in order to get friendship like that. We have to give up our need to be perceived as perfect. We have to give up our ability to control what people think of us. We have to overcome the fear that when they see the depths of who we are, they'll leave. But what we give up is nothing in comparison to what this kind of friendship gives to us. Friendship is about risk. Love is about risk. If we can control it and manage it and manufacture it, then it's something else, but if it's really love, really friendship, it's a little scary around the edges."

Both of these are from the section swimming.

I have hidden for so long and not let anyone see the depths of me. i have been very careful and that's ok. But it's time to take a risk. I feel like I have some friends now that I can take that risk with.
Not only do I need to take a risk but I also need to do the hard intimate work of friendship.

I absolutely love my friends and I am so thankful that God has brought them into my life. Friends that are not afraid to call me out on things and say things to my face so we can work on them. And I know that i can openly call them on things and it's ok. We will work through them, they aren't going to leave.

Thank You Jesus for true friends.