The last few days I have been spending time with my brothers. It was a little more than one year ago that our dad passed away, and that fact has been something we have all dealt with in different ways.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT
So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
The conversations have been so good. Sharing memories. Talking about family. Remembering some special times. Looking at how things have changed around our home town. Talking about the challenges of life, growing older and the like. This really has been a packed few days.
Yesterday I got to be a some time with my best friend from my high school days. It was so good to reconnect, to share stories and to remember. This friend is involved in ministry and has made a great impact on so many lives. He and I were discipled by some great people.
One of the things we talked about most was how we each encouraged one another through the early days of our walk with God. It was good to talk about those times and how those times have shaped who we are and what we do. Blessed. We really are.
I love thinking back on the people. With my brothers and my friend we have brought us the names of people we might have not thought about in years. We swapped stories, funny and memorable ones, that meant a lot to each of us.
We needed this time. I needed this time.
I miss my dad, and I am so grateful to have a family and friends who have made my life so much fuller and richer. It is important to slow down from time to time, to think back, to heal some and to thank God for all He has done.
But it is not over. God is still working. These guys and others have helped me become who I am today. They have been around when things were hard. We really do need people around us who care about who we are and who we are becoming.
I am grateful for the people God has placed in my life.
Romans 15:32 NLT
Then, by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other.
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