Conversations with Teammates

Do you ever get nervous about meeting up with a good friend? Someone who has lived many seasons of life with you, someone who knows you at your worst and your best, a friend who makes eye contact so fierce and so consistent you are equal amounts of comfortable and uncomfortable.

I do. I get nervous to meet these kinds of friends for coffee because I can't hide behind a sweet smile or blow past tough questions. These kinds of friends see past my facade and right into my soul.
No joke.

So sometimes I dread lunch or coffee dates with these friends. At work, I can stay secluded or make small talk, always keeping people at a safe distance. But not with these deep spirited friends.

Today I sat at a wobbly table in the Ingles deli with my friend Brooke. Brooke and I have been friends for 8+ years. She is on YL staff in the area and we used to work together. This is a lady that knows me. I can't hide things from her nor do I truly want to. It's just that she challenges me and brings truth that isn't always comfortable.

Brooke doesn't beat around the bush. We were still standing around the Starbucks kiosk when she started bringing the hard hitting questions. It took everything in me to keep my eyes from welling up and letting out tears that were gathering. I will not cry in the grocery store I told myself.

I hope if you have never been loved like this that you will be. I hope that you have friends who have hard conversations with you, friends who are for you, friends who point you towards Jesus. Brooke is this friend.

Why did I tear up? This is a season of life that is what I like to call a whirlwind in slow motion. Nothing is certain, plans are up in the air, I am not as settled as I would like to be, I have a job but not really a career, and I am trying to give the non existent control I think I posses over my life back to Christ. And gosh time is just moving so slowly. Oh and I am in love with a boy whose life is also in slow motion whirlwind mode. He is in love with me too and we are trying to figure out life together.
Brooke always wants to know whats really going on in my heart and in order to have constructive conversation with her, I have to face the whirlwind. And I so want to have good conversation with her.

I really love and respect Brooke, I love our conversations too. No one says the things she does or gives the kind of advice she can. She sheds infinite amounts of light on things that seem really dark to me and she helps me shake off chains that I am unnecessarily bound by. Boy does she help me feel free.

So what are the magic words that Brooke speaks to me? She affirms me by reminding me who I am which is a strong woman of the Lord. I forget that sometimes and that gets me down, but she tells me that really I am just humble. She also stated that I am a woman that isn't afraid to say yes to God. All I could think was Me? Really? Are you sure?

I learned from Brooke that it's helpful to communicate with people what they are capable of. If you tell someone what you believe them to be, they begin to believe it about themselves. If someone tells you "You're great at bowling" you're going to do it every weekend because you believe it's true. It they tell you "You are good at singing" you're inclined to sing louder and more often. And if someone tells you "You are a strong woman of God" you are going to act like it.

This is why I love Brooke. She knows me. She knows how to encourage me. She knows whats best for me and she is on my team.

Who is on your team?