I have this friend. She lives a half a country away now, although she used to be just a few minutes away. And we were never that close when she lived here, although I've always admired her as a mama and been encouraged by her faith. She is the type of person that you can't talk to without being encouraged to go deeper with the Lord.
She's someone I think I would have grown even closer to if she had stayed here, but alas, she moved away... and now we stay in touch by reading each other's blogs. I might even say I feel closer to her now, as she has poured out her own heart and struggles on her blog, and as I've gleaned from her ways in parenting, teaching, having courage and finding contentment.
Funny thing is, as she as grown as a writer and in her walk with the Lord, I find myself leaving her posts unread when I open up my Google Reader. It's like, deep down, I know that her words will speak to me with the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
And sometimes it's easier to sort through the reader for the eye candy and the fun and the creativity and the yumminess, and to skip the deep (which also often includes bits of all that other good stuff).
So they sit there and pile up, and then finally on a day when I feel a bit bored by everything else I'm reading online during the kids' quiet time, I open up the folder of her blog's posts and I take a deep breath, and I ingest them.
Slowly, carefully, with a smile on my face, I enjoy them. I miss my friend. I see her precious treasures' smiling faces. I'm encouraged by the way she speaks truth into her kids' lives. The way she lives out the gospel with her family.
I have other real-life friends that make me feel like this. A handful of them that I hold dearly and feel refreshed after I spend time with them.
But this one friend... she's got this heart-laid-bare blog. And sometimes I need to see the words in front of me because I'm such a visual learner.
Reading her blog makes me want to be a better gospeler to my children. She spurs me on like friends should. I feel inspired to dig deep and focus on what matters most in our home.
And to make my blog even meaningful. The blogosphere, such a wonderful "place" in many ways, can be so distracting. I think it's time for me to rethink things a bit around here.