1 And 11

Alright, I have to tell you that I've had the lyrics to "I'm So Excited" in my head since yesterday. Just think of me as the fifth Pointer Sister. You know, the very pale one. So, help me out here girls. You know how the song goes. "I'm so excited and I just can't hide it." What, you're asking why I'm so excited? Well, that's easy. It's because my sweet friend Caroline gave me my first blog award!! When I checked her blog yesterday, I saw that she had given me this award:

And, let me tell you it made my day to receive this award, and it made my day even more wonderful because it came from Caroline. Caroline is a wonderful, godly woman who is beautiful, inside and out. She is personable and funny, and her laughter and smile are contagious. She is a prayer warrior and encourager to so many women. Caroline is an authentic, genuine lover of the body of Christ, but more importantly she is an authentic, genuine lover of Christ. She encourages me in so many different ways, and I am so thankful to have the opportunity to call her my friend. I love you, Caroline!!

I've been reading a book called 11 Indispensable Relationships You Can't Be Without by Leonard Sweet. Basically, the premise of the book is that you need friends to get through this crazy journey called life, and according to the author, there are 11 friends, in particular, that you need to have. For example, Mr. Sweet suggests that you need an Editor like Nathan was to David, a Yoda like Peter and Paul were, a true friend like Jonathan was to David, and an encourager like Barnabas.

When I first started reading this book, I concentrated on myself. Who was my Nathan, my Jonathan, my Barnabas? But, as I was reading the chapter on Barnabas, something struck me. Mr. Sweet said that sometimes we are called to encourage people we don't even know. A couple of things occurred to me when I read that. The first was that as important as it is to have all 11 indispensable friends, it is equally as important to be those 11 friends to someone else. After all, we will more than likely have an opportunity to be each of the 11 indispensable friends to at least 11 different people at some point in our lives.

The second thing that struck me, however, was a little more personal to me. One of the very first blogs I read was Kelly's. And, for whatever reason, God chose to put her on my heart. It was very clear to me that I was supposed to be praying for her and encouraging her. What made this slightly awkward for me was that we didn't know each other. At all. So, I resisted. My pride and my ego got in my way for quite awhile. I listened to the voices in my head that said, "She's going to think that you are a freak and a stalker." But, God wouldn't let it go. She was on my heart constantly, and since it didn't appear that God was going to let me out of this one just because I was scared of rejection, I pressed on. I did pray for her. I did email her. And, yes, the entire time I was doing so, I felt like a freak and a stalker. And, yes, she probably thought so, too!

But, what I want to say is this. I am so thankful that God wouldn't let it go, and I am so thankful that I pushed through my fears and was obedient. If I hadn't pressed through, I would have missed out on a huge blessing. I would have missed out on knowing what an awesome person Kelly is. I wouldn't have been able to see how deep her faith is and how important it is to her. I would have missed out on her warm smile that comes from her inner joy and hope in the Lord. I would have missed out on learning what we have in common, and I wouldn't have been able to put a sweet voice to her picture. I would have missed a great blessing.

And, not only would I have missed the blessing that Kelly has been to me, I would have missed out on meeting most of my other blogging buddies. Because, let's face it, I found most of the rest of ya'll from her blog roll! It has been so much fun to get to know all of you. I love learning about you, and I hope that I will continue to get that opportunity. I love chatting with you all, especially the ones who live nearby but I don't get to see often enough, via blog comments and email, and we all know how much I love to talk on the phone! You are all such a blessing to me. More than I could ever be able to convey with my words. I love you all so much!! I do, I do.

But, now I must pass on my award to another deserving woman. Specifically, I pass on my award to this wonderful lady.

Julia

Julia is simply awesome. Her blog is so cute. I always look forward to reading her posts, and I miss her terribly when she has the day off from work ;) She is a gorgeous woman inside and out. She has a heart for the Lord, and she is on the worship team at her church. And, just let me tell ya that the girl has got it goin' on. She can sing. She is is a celebrity at my house! She is also a model of health and fitness and is always willing to help a sister out. And, I love that about her. So, Julia, this one's for you, friend! You do make my day, all the time!

I know I said it before, and I'll probably be saying it another billion times, but I love each of you so much. I'm honored to consider you gals my friends!!

So, you have to tell me, though, how do your friends make your day?