Good morning…
In good times and in bad, “soul friends” surround us. We are God-with-skin-on to one another. It’s as if the Holy Spirit-in-me and the Holy Spirit-in- you enjoy life-giving conversations.
Yesterday in our final Friday morning class, we revisited a favorite quote about what it means to be a “soul friend.”
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Excerpt from Simple Faith by Margaret Silf, pages 47-48
Our Celtic forebears, who founded Christian communities in Ireland and the British Isles, honored a role they called the anam cara, which means “soul friend.” A soul friend is a person you trust enough to share some of the deepest matters of your heart, someone who will listen to what you share without any kind of judgement, without trying to “fix” anything, and without flattering or criticizing you. He or she will, however, listen lovingly to whatever you share and then perhaps reflect back what seems to be stirring you most deeply, possibly also challenging you in firm but gentle ways – for example, reminding you of what you have consistently been desiring or discerning in your prayer and in your life, warning you if it appears that you are being untrue to your own deepest longings and intentions.
Soul friends are a bit like midwives. They bring Christ to birth in your life and circumstances, but they only assist at the birth. They don’t second-guess what form the baby will take, and they let the birth happen in its own way and time. They are there not to administer medication to take away the pain but to be alongside you as you deal with it. It is you who does the laboring, but they will rejoice with you at the miracle that is coming to pass.
How do you find a soul friend? Look around you. Seek and you will find, and perhaps in places you didn’t expect. A soul friend is someone your soul can connect to and your heart can trust.
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As this semester has evolved, week by week, we have grown to become soul friends for one another. Yesterday was deeply bonding. A challenging cancer diagnosis of a beloved family member. The death of a close friend and its bittersweet aftermath. The anticipation of a first grandchild’s birth after last year’s miscarriage. We trusted one another enough to share the deepest matters of our hearts. Together we listened lovingly, unable to “fix” anything, unable to administer medication to take away the pain. God’s Spirit was undeniably present in the sharing of each story. As we head into our holidays, we will remain connected through two-way street, living-breathing veins of prayer.
“A friend loves at all times,” reminds Proverbs 17:17 (NIRV). “They are there to help when trouble comes.”
In good times and in bad, soul friends surround us. We are God-with-skin-on to one another. It’s as if the Holy Spirit-in-me and the Holy Spirit-in-you enjoy life-giving conversations.
…Sue…
P.S. This semester our Monday and Friday groups have also shared in the joy of forming a support team for 28-year-old Larenzia Lawrence, the talented young woman who runs the after school program at PAWkids, a amazing person who has unexpectedly become a soul friend to me. Noticed as an important influencer in the Grove Park neighborhood of Atlanta, Larenzia has been invited into a Leadership Training Program for inner city community leaders. Supporting her efforts, both prayerfully and financially, I trust that the generosity of our classes will pay healing dividends for generations to come as we invest in the natural gifts of Larenzia. Surrounding her as a support team with our ongoing prayers, we are like midwives helping to bring Christ to birth in the life of Larenzia and our the neediest in our community.
As I went down to PAWkids after class to share our donations with Larenzia, her huge hug enveloped me and her deep gratitude was so real. Larenzia (pictured below in the white t-shirt and then again the green hat) invited us all to the PAWkids Homecoming party hosted for our community today from 1:00 to 3:00 pm.
Food. Music. Outdoor games. A fun, festive gathering of families and friends. Would you like to join me in this experience of joy?
