Sunday, January 28, 2007

Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are full of deceit. Proverbs 27:6

That verse means that a real friend will tell you the truth even if it hurts, while an enemy will tell you that you are right when you are clearly wrong.

I had a friend come over the other day. Someone I really enjoy spending time with, who I respect, and who isn't afraid to be a real friend and tell me the truth (in love of course). Her and her husband have been faithful friends to Brian and I, and I can safely say that we owe a lot of our personal growth to their supportive, honest, and sometimes painful feedback.

During the course of our conversation, she paid me a compliment. A compliment that was so nice, so meaningful to me, that I actually told her to stop talking for a minute. I wanted to take that compliment and wrap it around me, I wanted to absorb it into my being. For one of the first times in my adult life, someone told me something nice about myself that:

  • I had no idea was the case until it was told to me.
  • Was completely unexpected.
  • I whole heartedly believed it to be true at that very moment.
  • I did not, at any point in time think, "Yeah, I'm just fooling you, wait until you REALLY get to know me".

There is alot more than that comment that has brought me to this point, but her words will serve as a marker for the moment when I came to accept who I really am. A headstone for the insecurity that held me back until now.

If the wounds of a friend are faithful, how can I describe the feeling of a sincere blessing? I can't, except to say that I am greatful.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

do I know this friend??

Oh and BTW, i think you are whatever she said you are, can do whatever she said you can. i just know.

Lizzie W. said...

Yes you do. and I knew you would say something like that. As a matter of fact, you came up in our conversation! :-) :-) :-)