I had such an encouraging conversation yesterday. I called my friend M because I heard that her older son had been sick and we ended up talking for probably 20-30 minutes (I know it doesn’t sound long, but in the middle of the afternoon that is a long time for moms with two boys each). It was the most honest and open conversation I have had since being in MS. Nothing terribly earth shattering, but it was real and for that I am thankful.

I had a friend in Charlotte who was the type of friend that one is always looking for, but that does not come very often. She was a few years older than I am and shared her life openly. We talked about our marriages, spiritual struggles, and sin, and we encouraged one another to keep on striving towards Christ and not to settle into the mold of the world. To have that kind of relationship, there is risk as you open your heart to rejection. As you share more of your thoughts, it is more likely as well that you will disagree. It is easy to get along when the conversation sticks to fluffy topics, but as you delve deeper clashes will occur—how they are handled will be telling. Early on, C’s disarming authenticity set the stage for a remarkable friendship. I can still count on her candor and genuineness even though we are continents away from each other now.

One person has to be willing to take that first step and be real. For those of you that have this kind of close friend, be thankful and continue to “spur one another on towards love and good deeds.” For those that don’t, pray and look for those in your life who could be that friend. Then, step out and be real.