in focus
}
By Tracey Bianchi
One Sunday, after preaching three sermons, I dragged my utterly depleted body from the pulpit toward my office. It was early afternoon, our senior pastor was out of town, and I’d been doing my best for Jesus since 8:00 a.m.. My mind felt like the lukewarm, melted iced-coffee sitting on my desk. “He does this every week?!” I muttered as I grabbed a crumpled up note freshly shoved into my staff mailbox. I flopped into my chair unfolding the note. The self-affirmation junkie that I am secretly hoped it was a member singing my praises. Best sermon ever? Hailing me as the next Beth Moore? not so much. The shaky cursive read, “Your bad haircut and dark roots are distracting from your presentation. You might want to get your hair done.” Laughter or tears; which would it be? After trying to honor God all morning shabby grooming was the only apparent take away. “I have three kids, two jobs and one husband. Who has time to get her highlights done?”
Friend o’ Mine Immediately I slid open my phone and dialed my friend, Sadie. “Please tell me I’m cute and my hair is okay.” I pleaded. Snickering, she reassured me that Jesus did not care much about hair and as I hastily prepared to hang up she paused to be certain I was listening, “You do know you really are great, right? And I love you.” A good friend is salve for the soul.
You’ve Got A Friend In Me
Gratitude enfolds me after a call like this. In a world where loneliness is cited as an ever present reality, Sadie is a treasure. Psychologists, social workers, researchers, pastors and even radio hosts will tell you that loneliness is a pandemic in our
culture as people feel increasingly isolated despite every bit of technological prowess. Forging meaningful relationships does not come easy. Friendships among women are often tangled at best. Most of us smacked into this reality during middle school and the sting of gossip and judgment stalked us well into adulthood. To strike up a new friendship creates anxiety in a distracted, individualistic world. “So . . . will you be my new BFF?” makes for a desperate sounding lead line at a social gathering. Yet God designed us all for connection with others and deemed it essential to the well-being of our souls. So how do we finesse the fine nuances of friendship and
SPRING/SummeR 2012
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