Teal and Sushi

I hung out with the other C3 staff wives today. It is an amazing gift to have Angie, Sandi, and Amanda as the ladies I get to do ministry life with. I can truly say that the three of them are my closest friends. These are the friends in my life that honestly "get it" when it comes to my deepest joys and struggles. These are the friends I can confide in to hold me accountable. I love them for letting me be me. I don't have to pretend. They know my heart. They know who I strive to be in Christ. I've never felt such freedom among a group of any other ladies.
Trust is huge with women. We deal with gossip, manipulation, and pain on a much more emotional level than men. Our scars tear the heart. Angie, Sandi, and Amanda are the friends that I can pour my heart out to. A couple of months ago my life was at an all-time emotional low. I could visibly see God's direction and I was excited about where He was taking me but I didn't understand why I had to go down the road I was going down to get there. C3 was facing opposition from the devil and was using people to distract God's work. I was receiving multiple phone calls and letters from a family member who was going through severe depression and didn't know how to handle life. I was dealing with someone whom I love with all my heart yet had no hope. I wanted in my human strength to change everything but I couldn't. It was a time where God was moving in me in the biggest way so the enemy was up for a fight. The test was gut-wrenching. During one of the lowest times in my life the only people I could fully open up to were my closest C3 friends. I wasn't just on the verge of a breakdown... I had actually allowed the stress to take over my life. I had a real and very scary emotional outpouring. It was as if all of my emotions were being cleansed and purged at once. These ladies and their husbands prayed with me, for me and selflessly put their stuff aside just to be a friend. God is working out all of the details of my life and I love that I have friends who are interested in the details... even the ugly, emotional ones.
Flip side... We get each others foolish jokes. We probably aren't even that funny. But we crack each other up. I know I'm not that funny... I recycle the same stuff over and over and over again. I figure if it worked once then it'll work the next 30-40 times. I still get courtesy laughs though and that makes me feel good about myself. I love Sandi for her sweet spirit and her strong, stable nature. She is the type you can just open yourself up to and know she is listening intently without judgment. Amanda is bubbly, fun, and everyone wants to be her friend. She is my slumber party buddy. We've had some really great talks about all sorts of crazy stuff. I want to learn to cook like her too. Angie is the blonde version of me... subtle and boring... yeah right! She embraces the freedom of being the woman God created her to be. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding and from the minute I met her there was a connection. She knows what I'm thinking even before I vocalize it. These are the women I got to hang with today. I love them and thank God for them daily.