I’ll be there for you 🎶

Note: I actually had this written before Matthew Perry, beloved Friends cast member passed away. RIP Matthew Perry/Chandler Bing

“I’ll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour. I’ll be there for you, like I’ve been there before”. Did anyone else just sing that in their head? These are lyrics from the theme song to my favorite TV show, Friends. If you haven’t seen it (really?!), it’s a show about friends who are there for each other in good and bad times and doing life together. To me, it’s a reminder we need a community or at least a person around us so we aren’t doing life alone. It doesn’t have to be friends you are with non-stop like the show (most of us won’t have 24/7 to be with friends). It simply needs to be someone near or far you can text or DM if you are struggling.

The morning my dog died last week I felt very alone. My husband was out of town so I had to put on my big girl pants and deal with things. Then, my dad asked if he could come to my house and help me with the burial process.

That question meant more to me than I could have imagined. It meant I was not alone and someone was down in the dirt with me (literally). Someone was shouldering the burden with me.

The next day I walked into church for my covenant small group and I was met with hugs from my group. They didn’t try to fix it, they were just there for me hugging me. They had also been there for me the day before offering prayer as I went throughout the day.

“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As hard as it may be, open yourself up to others, letting someone into your inner circle. We are taught to be independent and do things on our own, but it is so important to allow others to help us also. There are people who want to help you so why not let them?

How can you open yourself up to friendship and allow someone to shoulder your burdens with you? A short text or call? Maybe simply saying yes when someone offers to help?

And how can you be the friend who reaches out and is there for someone? A smile or hug? A text offering to help? Dropping food off on doorstep when someone is going through hard time?

Let’s make real community this week friends. If you don’t have someone in person I would love to be there virtually for you. DM me and I would love to have a conversation.

Those sweet hound dog eyes

Those big, beautiful hound dog eyes would look up at me eager for me to pet him. His red, floppy ears flapped around as I played with him. He was young, why did this happen? Our beloved 3 year old hound dog, Rover, passed away yesterday.

Didn’t I just write about my dog, Dixie, dying and now this? Rover seemed to have a long life ahead of him so this is hard to understand.

Yesterday I took my shovel and pickaxe and went outside to break through the hard dirt and rock for a burial site. As I swung the pickaxe repetitively to break up the layer of limestone rock, I could feel the Lord breaking up the hard places of my heart. My need for control, my anxieties, overwhelm of my schedule had all contributed to a hardened heart. But the Lord wants me free of these hard places.

“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭11:19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Just like I broke through the rock when digging the hole, God breaks through my heart of stone so I can be wholly devoted to Him.

Rover was wholly devoted to my family, faithful and loving no matter what was happening. I want to be the same way towards my Heavenly Father. Rover’s joyful eyes would look up at me and my family, just happy to be with us. I want to look up to God with the same joy in my eyes just happy to spend time with Him.

Friend, how is your heart? What are your eyes looking up at?

Man’s best friend

“She was the first animal I really cared about,” my daughter said through tears. I sat holding her even though it was past bedtime and we were both beyond tired.

Our dog, Dixie, passed away yesterday. She was old and had been sick so no real shock, but it is still surreal. I know I am not unique in the loss of a pet. Many of us have lost pets and to that I say “You are not alone. I am here with you.” Some people don’t fully understand when someone is grieving a pet because they weren’t human. True it may not be the same kind of grief, but grief is still grief.

We can also grieve life changes – job losses, illnesses, failed relationships, etc. Life isn’t always easy. It’s not always sunshine and sangria. Sometimes it’s hurricanes and sour vinegar.

As I navigate the death of our beloved Dixie girl with my children, we cry and we pray and we share memories. We make time to sit together and hug, wipe tears, and just be together. Dixie had been around for their whole lives, so now there is a void. What had caused a void in your life?

What has caused a void in your life?

People deal with the voids in their lives in many different ways, both good and bad. But the first thing we should do is not something of this world, but someone out of this world. We should look to God, who will always be there when we grieve, when there is a void in our lives.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34:18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Remember, friends, that God is close to us when we grieve or struggle through a void that’s been left in our lives. He is near and we can turn and sit in His lap while He comforts us. I’m praying for you!