Relaxing in a quaint little coffee shop, hands cupping a mug of fancy coffee, enjoying conversation with a treasured friend.
This scenario sits at the top of my favorite-things-to-do list. I love everything about it. The coffee, the company, and the cozy climate of the shop.
If other things weren’t competing for my time, I’d tarry there for hours with this friend of mine. Catching up on the latest news. Encouraging one another. Sharing insight into issues weighing heavy on our hearts. Celebrating successes, big and small.
If you were that friend and we were having coffee today, I’d lean in closer, tap your hand and tell you how happy I am that you’re here.
Opportunities to gather with a close friend are a rare occurrence. Our days, so saturated with responsibility, the nurturing of friendship is often the first item we set aside. So believe me when I say I cherish this time with you, my friend.
Don’t be alarmed if my usual quiet demeanor gives way to a momentary bout of excessive chatter as we settle into our chairs. I may need a moment to breathe, to inhale the aroma escaping from my cup, to transition myself into sitting mode. I’m certain you’ll understand. It’s likely you’ll need a moment, too.
If we were having coffee today, I would tell you how I’ve barely began Christmas shopping — and the mere thought of pulling decorations from the attic, sorting them and placing them strategically throughout my home exhausts me.
I would tell you I have no desire to decorate. It all seems like too much. Too much work. Too much trouble. Too much mess.
I would ask your opinion. How might I recapture that spark? How might I at least create some simple decor – the type that delights my children and requires minimal effort on my part? I’m all about simple these days.
I would continue to bounce ideas off you, wondering aloud how much I should spend on gifts this year and who I should buy for … I’m overwhelmed thinking about it.
Realizing you think no less of me for feeling this way, I’m relieved, and I cut myself some slack.
If we were having coffee today, I would ask about you. How are things in your life, friend? Your marriage, your children, your work, your daily grind? Are you happy? Stressed? At peace in some areas, maybe frustrated in others?
I would nudge you to keep plugging along, trusting there is purpose in your hard places. I would take to heart your struggles, making a mental note to pray for you. Or, perhaps we’d bow our heads and ask Jesus to meet us there in that coffee shop.
No doubt our time together will come to an end sooner than we’d like. But please know when it does, I’ll carry pieces of your struggles home with me, intent on praying you through every single one of them.
Why? Because you are my friend.
And I believe our friendship was no accident. I am certain God orchestrated the crossing of our paths at exactly the right moment, in exactly the right season of life.
He knew we would need one another to navigate the ups and downs of this life.
Me, here for you. You, here for me.
Sharing life.
Sharing friendship.
Sharing coffee.
