Best Friends, Quesadillas, and the Fruit of the Spirit...

Sure, I know what you are saying... WHAT? How in the world could those three things be linked... well, those three words sum up what I have been doing since my last post. 
My very dear friend ( a missionary to Wales, UK) was supposed to arrive this weekend, but suprised me Wednesday night at church. So, since then I have been trying my best to spend as much time as possible with her... which is soo great... but I have not checked my email or posted to my blogs in nearly a week... and let me tell you - my emails alone will take me all day to answer!  But I have to say today, I am just reflecting over the gift of fellowship that God gave us this past weekend.  I am so blessed to say that God brought this dear friend into my life when I was almost 9 and she was 8.  We have been great friends for three decades...(uggghhhh that makes me feel sooooo oooolllldddd)... and with each and every year it just gets sweeter.  God has never promised us this type of blessing, but I believe with all my heart He knows just how much it helps us.  Over the years, it seems that God has allowed us to be at similar "places in life" at the same time. What a blessing that is to be struggling with something and to talk and know that you are not alone in what you are feeling and praying about.  I really cannot express in words just how thankful I am that God has done this over and over again for both of us! 

Even more amazing that God gave me such a precious friend, is the fact that He has also allowed our daughters to be the best of friends as well.  When my dear girl comes with tears and heartache because her best friend lives thousands of miles away... at least I can empathize with her. BUT, We had the rare priveledge of being able to spend an entire day together this past Saturday - just the four of us.  It was so much fun - such a blessing - and sooo refreshing!  We ate several times together - of course chocolate was invovled - but had a great time eating quesadillas at a wonderful Mexican restaurant - at 8:30 at night - talk about indigestion! We giggled and laughed and cried and even took pictures of our craziness!  So much fun we didn't want it to end...

... Then this morning we had our Bible class with the children, and were reviewing the Life in the Spirit.  We had studied the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians as well as the qualities found in II Peter 1:3-9. As I reflected on this and the memories of this past weekend... I am made to be so thankful for the gifts of the Spirit.  I know that in and of ourselves we would be incapable of even having a selfless TRUE friendship.  But through the grace of God and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our hearts we can have a TRUE friend that we are able to love.  Like a billboard I saw recently that said, "Pride is putting ourself first, love is putting someone else first."  I really don't know if I would be capable of having such a precious friendship without the grace of God and the gifts of the Holy Spirit that enable me to show love, kindness, gentleness, goodness, meekness... and God knows that I still fail miserably at times.  Yet, I am so thankful that through Him and only Him I can have these fruits and reap such blessings in a sweet and precious friendship! 

Galatians 5:22-26 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.