A Lifer...

What exactly is a LIFER, you ask? Well, let me explain this creative term.. LIFER- is one of those friends that you have made that you just KNOW you will be friends with for LIFE. It is a friend that no matter the distance, the time, or the circumstances that come between you...you know that you will be friends through it all. One of my Lifer friends just recently had a huge life altering event occur..she got married! So she comes to my mind today as I write this post for several reasons.

This is my Lifer, Jana. We became friends about 6 years ago. We met each other through the school where I was teaching. As we got to know each other we discovered several, crazy connections! --We both attended ISU (four years apart---so she was just starting as I ended) --We both were in the same college...College of Family Consumer Sciences at ISU. --We both attended the same campus ministry, Salt Company. (again we were never on campus at the same time..but with this connection of our church we found that we knew SO MANY of the same people..it was crazy!!) --AND...we lived in the EXACT SAME DUPLEX in South Ames! Not even joking, of all the places to live in a town with about 20,000+ people...what are the chance that we would live in the exact same duplex!!? It is just...C.R.A.Z.Y..but it is so fun! Jana couldn't have come into my life at a better time. After knowing that she loves the Lord and has such a passion for his word..I knew we would get along GREAT! As we were in the midst of fertility treatments and my life was just a "mess" it felt like...the Lord put Jana in my life for a divine reason! I believe she came into my life at that time to be a LIGHT to me. Nearly every single day for the two years that we taught in the same building she would connect with me on some level...a note in my mailbox, a verse on my desk, a quick visit in my classroom, a text message or just a plain smile in the hallway. All of which, I needed, desperately. Jana and I started to schedule supper together every week because our conversations would never be quick. Our conversations would include all sorts of things but I would ALWAYS leave our conversations feeling way more refreshed then when we started. Even though we both were at a stage in our life that we desired something that wasn't in the PLAN just yet, we reminded each other often of God's promises. As we would SPUR ONE ANOTHER ON towards love and good deeds (Heb 10:24)...we felt that we were not alone in this battle..we call life. It was in these low times that Jana and I really connected. Jana had a strong desire to be married and my strong desire was to be a mother. One of the things that Jana would always say was "Wont that be such a beautiful picture someday of you holding your child and me in my wedding dress"?

This picture represents so much more to us then just the three of us! It represents Faithfulness. Perseverance. Sovereignty. Peace. Humbleness. Power. LOVE. So as I witnessed her blessed union with her husband a few weeks ago, I couldn't help but tear up knowing that her hearts desire was finally being met. Thank you Lord Jesus for my beautiful friend Jana. She has been such a great example of YOUR love and mercy to me. Her life song has made such an impact on my life. Thank you for providing this friend exactly when I needed her the most. Thank you Lord for being the tie that binds us together as friends...and Lifers! Only by HIS grace...