i met my lifelong best friend when we were 13. we were both awkward girls in junior high P.E. class. i didn't know her, but i dared to pull my gym socks up to my knees, the same way she wore hers. i went out on a limb. it was kismet.
i met another best friend on a lonely Sunday morning. each with baby girls on our hips and diaper bags over our shoulders, i clutched my bible as she introduced herself in the church nursery lobby. the following Sunday, i looked but didn't see her. so i found her daughter's class and stuck a note with my phone number in her diaper bag hanging on the cubby hook. i went out on a limb. she called me. and she is of my nearest and dearest to this day.
a few years later, another best friend and i crossed paths twice a week, strangers. shuffling our preschoolers into class through new-again-mom fogs, we barely said hello. her son and my daughter became classroom buddies, and i was hopeful for a buddy myself. i mustered up the courage and energy to invite her to MOPS. i went out on a limb. she showed up, and the rest is history.
later, God disguised another best friend as The New Girl. we were partnered up, assigned to work together leading a group of women. she was a newbie; i, the veteran. work soon became play, and laughter, and trust, confidence, encouragement, honesty, safety, prayers, and love. i went out on a limb. it doesn't matter that our children aren't the same age. she is one of my bestests.
i have a circle of amazing friends because i went out on a limb to pursue and nurture their friendship. think about your inner circle of friends...did either of you go out on a limb to kick-start the relationship?
if you are hopeful for new friends in your circle, let me encourage you: take a chance on someone. it's totally worth it. God knows what He's doing when He puts you in places with certain people. so go for it. go out on a limb...you just might find your new best friend.
-----------------------------
bird photo by lizzy stewart, quote & artwork by mamahall.
