Relationships...

Today I went to a fancy luncheon for Safe Haven of Fort Worth. Safe Haven is a women's shelter for women who have left an abusive relationship. They offer not only shelter but also services to get these women back on their feet. It was a great luncheon! Patricia Heaton (who you may know better as Debra on Everyone Love's Raymond) was the guest speaker and she was great. At times she had me wiping away the tears and at other times I was bent over in laughter. Patricia spoke about how important relationships are in ones life. She shared some stories of significant relationships in her life. It was truly inspirational!

Relationships are a topic that has been on my heart lately. I just finished reading The Shack by William P. Young. This was an amazing fiction book that spoke of relationships. In the forward there was a line that I loved. "I suppose that since most of our hurts come through relationships so will our healing." I am amazed by the truth of this statement. I have been deeply hurt by many relationships in my life, but most of the healing from those hurts has come through relationships with people who have loved me enough to walk through those hurts with me!

I am so thankful for those people who have helped to heal those hurts in my life and I pray that I will be able to walk through some of those things with people that I love. A girl that has become such a part of my life and heart called me last week to tell me that she believes that God used me (and a little care package I sent her) to show her His love here on earth. I did not know but she has been struggling through some really hard things lately and the fact that I care about her spoke God's love to her. I had tears streaming down my face as she told me this. What a privilege to be able to love someone through hurt and pain. What a privilege to be for someone what so many women have been to me in my life!

I think the thing that I am learning is that in order for me to be in relationship with others and to love others I must first be in relationship with Christ and love Christ. These past two-ish months I have grown deeper with Christ, He has been teaching me so much. I've had to step outside of myself and love those around me. Through my relationship with Christ and only through that relationship will I be able to be in relationship with others and love others well. He is the ultimate example of what love looks like, now may I just model that...