Friday, February 17
I've got countless reasons for needing friends around me, but today, one reason stands out. Sometimes good friends can say something very simple and have it affect my thinking in very profound ways. My friend, LeeAnn, has known me longer than anyone outside of my family. She and I have been friends for more than half my life... more than two decades... and so she knows me and my strengths and weaknesses well. She knows the ins and outs and the reasons for lots of the fears and worries. (Thankfully, she's also known the great joys in my life!)
Before I blogged about my fears about growing closer to God and changing into someone I didn't like, I told Mike because I think it's important that I share things with him first. Then, I emailed LeeAnn and Aleece to get their input. And, as always, I was blessed by their responses.
LeeAnn is a stay-at-home mom (working on finishing her master's degree) these days with two small children, one of whom has the chicken pox this week, so for her to make the effort to email me back is a precious thing to me. Her response to my worries was simple, and yet, so very important for me.
Michele, I already like the person you are and so do so many people. If you are growing in God, how can we NOT like you? You are only improving when you grow in God, so therefore it would be impossible to not like who you are. I think you might like who you are MORE instead of you not liking the person you become! Look at it that way!
God would not make you a person who puts off people. That would defeat His purpose, I do believe. You will still like you - others will still like you. You have already cultivated a rich and wonderful personality that many love. Now, you are going to cultivate an aspect of your personality more fully with God. I do not think it will change who you already are - it will only enhance who you are.
I'm more than a little embarrassed that it didn't occur to me that if I am growing closer to Christ and asking Him to fill me with Himself, who I am can only get better because He is perfection. I'm grateful, though, to friends who take the time to say things to me that I haven't thought of myself.
[ posted by Chel on Friday, February 17, 2006 ]
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