This week I took a quick overnight trip to Omaha to see two of my favorite faces. Friends. Sisters. These women know more about me and my heart than most.
“When we are together I love that I can just… BE.” One friend simply stated yesterday morning as we cupped our hands around steaming coffee.
We sighed, agreed, smiled.
And as I-80 unfolded beneath my tires last night, I thought of how easy it was to just be me with them. And how much I wanted to plant them in my community, and how great life would be if we could share regular ladies nights and play dates and coffee times.
Floating among the hundreds of trucks moving forward, east, a silent challenge came: “Keep moving forward. Keep pressing in. Keep stepping out in vulnerability where you are. Keep investing.”
Letting people in to the deepest places—the fears and joys and dreams and struggles—can feel like skydiving. Like jumping off an unknown ledge, unsure if you will be caught and cradled, or left to a lonely and painful landing.
Friendship requires risk and vulnerability.
True friendships are hard, hard, hard. Especially as adults. Especially when life is stuffed with fist-fulls of responsibilities and commitments and bedtimes. But these two cherished friendships were not forged over 3 coffee dates or 4 nights out, but instead, years of moving forward— years of commitment, intentionality and forgiveness.
Friendship requires time.
So today I challenge you to make time to get to know someone better. Make time to invite them over–a new friend, a long lost friend, a someone you want to befriend. And take a step toward deeper friendship—move forward in knowing and being known.
Take a risk and be fully YOU. Don’t hold back your snort laugh or wear something to impress them. Instead, share something new about yourself, and ask them a deeper question. Ask how you can pray for each other.
And as you let go and feel your feet leave the safe cliff, prepare to see walls knocked down and trust and comfort replace tension and comparison.
