being known
Hey friends!!
Recently, I went for hiking with a group of friends. I drove to the hike with another friend and our dogs enjoyed riding together in the backseat. The night before our hike, my friend and I were confirming plans. We had planned to meet at her house at 6:45 as the trail head was an hour away. We figured this gave us plenty of time to drive, park, get gear on & dogs on leashes, & be starting our hike at 8. She sent a message asking if we could shift to 6:30, saying she was worried about parking. I said of course. In the morning, I woke up with plenty of time to get ready, and took too long making coffee, changing into different outfits, gathering my last items of hiking gear, & arrived 15 minutes late. So, I arrived at the original time of 6:45. When I opened my car door apologizing for my lateness, my friend was loading up her car and laughed, saying, “It’s all good. I knew you would be late so I asked you to come early & now you are perfectly on time.” We laughed & loaded up the car & our hike was lovely.
My heart felt so warmed by the fact that this friend knew I perpetually run late. (Maybe I should work on that haha.) I loved that she acknowledged it & met me where I was at, still offering kindness, laughter, & connection. Her teasing comradery brought us each joy. I always average 10-15 minutes late no matter how early I wake up or how far I have to drive. I keep my jewelry & makeup & protein bars in the car as I know this is the main time I use to get ready. I have perfected putting on mascara while driving & braiding my hair at stoplights. Haha that’s probably not a good thing, and it’s a habit I exercise far too frequently. But, hey, we always have room to grow & new things to work on.
Considering these sweet intricacies of doing life makes my heart happy. I love getting to know the rhythms & joys of people’s lives, their struggles & downfalls, memorizing coffee orders, & laughing together at how we meet people in their quirks. The privilege & joy of being known holds deep value in my life & I strive to love & support other like this.
“A friend is always loyal,
and a brother is born to help in time of need.”Proverbs 17:17
God made us to be relational people, living in community & sharing life. What a joy it is to adventure together, cry together, watch rom coms, share coffee or a meal. People are my biggest passion, & I am so thankful to be known.
One of my biggest lifetime goals it to build others up in Christ, love them well, & encourage them in their walk with God. Will you do this with me, friend? Some ways I strive to accomplish this -
keeping a running prayer list & asking loved ones how I can pray for them
memorizing coffee orders & taking dear friends coffee at work or home on hard or long or celebratory days
showing up & being present - whether with enthusiasm, calm, quiet, or in conversation
looking for tangible needs that can be met & doing my best to meet them - personally I love helping people with their children, but this can be done in so many ways
one of my biggest giving & receiving love languages is words, so I like to write cards. Birthday cards, simple-just-because-cards, thank you cards, I love words
asking people how I can help them or love them & following through - driving their kid somewhere, making a meal, running an errand, showing up, etc.
I am still growing & learning how to do this well. But, what a privilege it is to connect with those around us, caring & being cared for.
“Let everything you say be good & helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”
Ephesians 4:29