Entering the Next Chapter

Amy had two best friends. She was extremely close to both of her friends and she wouldn't dare to choose one over the other. Both of her friends were selected to represent their school in a statewide spelling bee. She helped both of her friends to study and to practice. She encouraged both friends to continue working hard. As they competed against the other schools they were successful at taking down the competition. One by one, the other schools were knocked out of the running until only Amy's two friends stood standing. Amy was so excited for her friends until suddenly a knot grew in her stomach at the realization that her friends were competing against each other. The next day as she was sitting in the auditorium she watched on in a nervous silence. When one of the friends beat the other and became state wide champion she was put in an uncomfortable position. How could she be a good friend to both girls at the same time? She had to  find a way to celebrate one of her friend...

As I sit at my keyboard my eyes well up with tears. What once were tears of grief and sorrow are now tears of joy. I feel like God is wrapping me in His arms. It is the first time in a while that I feel like I can breathe again.  I made it through. God helped me through.  Several months ago, I had lost a very dear friend to me. We had to cut communication because it was not a healthy situation to be in. It was completely unexpected and shook my world. I prayed that God would show His glory through the situation, but wasn't sure what that would look like. It seemed like a few months ago many people in my life weren't where God wanted them to be.  Through this all God taught me what it means to be a true friend. When I was a child I thought a friend was just someone that you play with. It was a person that was easily replaceable. Through this situation I have not only learned who my friends are but how to be a friend.  I had many friends step up and show me love ...

Within days of having had open heart surgery, patients are encouraged to walk around the hospital as a form of exercise. Why does the heart need exercise so soon? Is it all the way healed already?  The reason I bring this up is because I am learning that there is not much difference between the way you treat a physical injury and an emotional one. Both can take sometime to heal. Both may need intervention from someone trained in the relating field. And both can affect your everyday activities. I find myself asking, "how long do I heal before I begin to exercise love and acceptance again? Am I ready?"  The heart needs to exercise soon after an injury for a few reasons. It helps the doctors see if the heart is working correctly after the surgery. It is important to have a blood flow to the area to increase the speed of healing. It is also important to make sure the body doesn't atrophy.  The heart is not healed all the way, but slowly getting into a exercise program...