“The sweet smell of incense can make you feel good, but true friendship is better still.”
Proverbs 27:9

I got an unexpected email this weekend from the first babysitter who ever kept my boys. 

She was going through her emails and found a letter of recommendation that I had written for her — 12 years ago. 

As I read the letter, I was reminded of how God provides us with special people at just the right times in our lives. Kristin hadn’t just been a babysitter. She was like a member of our family. She was there to help me all throughout a difficult pregnancy. I knew her family. I knew her character. I could trust her with my newborn. 

Kristin is now an amazing wife and mother of five little ones. And my boys are 15 and almost 13. 

Time marches on. Many times, the people in our lives do too.  

Kristin’s email reminded me how God has provided me with many special friendships during my lifetime. Many of these I met while serving in Christian ministry. I met Kristin while leading a Bible study for high schoolers. 

In my single years, I met friends who became like family through church or Bible study. Most of those friends don’t live close by now. Our lives took different paths somewhere along the line. 

Yet I will always be grateful for the part they played in my story. And hopefully, they feel the same about the part I played in theirs.

Who are some of the friends God has sent in your present or past? Could you take time to pray for that person or send them a note of encouragement?

Stacy