happy birthday to a dear friend...

It is my dear friend Kelly's birthday, and I'd like to take some time to express my gratitude for her. We first met in a newlywed care group in 2005. (Wow! I can't believe it's already been that long ago!) We managed to stay together in the same care group, as Bill and I eventually stepped up to lead the group. And not long after that, Kelly and her husband left us to lead their own care group. I miss Kelly dearly!

Over the last 3 or 4 years, the Lord has been kind to build our friendship, mostly through Kelly's pursuing of me. I can be a loner at times and prefer to keep to myself, but I can't express how grateful I am that she pursued me (and still does!) to build a friendship with me. And that has meant so much. And the biggest thing is that I don't know why!! I still don't know why, but I often thank God for providing me with such a faithful friend, who is always available and willing to care for my soul. Kelly indeed helps remind me that there is a world outside of myself. =P Thank you, friend! I always appreciate your phone calls to check up on me or ask for counsel... and so cherish our evenings of grabbing some coffee.

Kelly has been such a source of wisdom and encouragement to me. And this wisdom is the fruit of walking through many difficult and heart-wrenching trials. Kelly has walked through some hard things with her girls, and as she has wrestled through these things, the Lord has been so faithful in using these hardships to grow her faith and dependence on Him. The transformation in her has been absolutely amazing to see. And now I see such a different woman from the one I had met a few years ago... Proverbs 31:26 describes her well, "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." Kelly is filled with such wisdom that is always tempered with kindness, which always provokes and reminds me to be more kind with my boys... and I love that her wisdom comes from personal experience from things that she has walked through before. I always know she is speaking to me as someone still trying to figure things out, rather than someone who already knows it all. (Kelly helps me feel normal... not sinless, but normal.) ;)

And now, I see Kelly frequently using what God has walked her through (or is still walking her through) to minister to others. It has been inspiring to see 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 come to life in her own life: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God" (emphases mine). As she has walked through affliction, she has gained much comfort and insight from the Lord. And now she is able to use the comfort she has gained to comfort those who are in any affliction... with the same comfort that she received from the Lord. I love how God uses the difficult things we walk through to encourage others who are later walking through a difficult trial. God brings His comfort through others who have already walked an arduous path. And I have often been the beneficiary of that comfort from Kelly, as I know others have as well.

Kelly is also a wonderful example to me of what being a godly wife and mother means. I see how she strives to submit, respect, and care for her husband. And I see how she loves and cherishes her girls... always being faithful to point them to the gospel. There is incredible fruit in the lives of her girls as she regularly instructs, trains, and disciplines her children in God's love and tenderness... things that never fail to provoke me. She very much has a heart for her children to know Jesus, and it shows through in their understanding of who they are (sinners in need of a...) in light of who He is (Savior). I love hearing about what she is doing with her girls so I can glean from some of her great ideas!

And last, but not least, I love how Kelly is my ghetto fabulous friend. I gotta give her some mad props. She is an amazing woman who loves the Lord and loves her family. She can rock it out with the best of them from the 90's. And she knows how to keep it real. There's no lunchin' with her. She is all that and a bag of chips! Love you, fly girl! You da bomb!