Gracie my Best Friend

image courtesy photobucket.com

“Yes one of these days I need to go visit my old friend, Gracie from school days,” I kept telling myself.

Gracie and I had lived down the street from each other, and we were best friends. We had fun, sold lemonade, swam in the local pool, got into trouble together, and were just happy kids. She often visited my church, and had received Jesus as her savior, but she did not grow up in the Lord, and remained I suppose you could call it “A baby Christian.”

We grew up - - we married our high school sweethearts and exchanged Christmas cards.

Many years went by and I had been thinking about her, so I asked my husband if he would take me the 150 miles to visit my friend. I think he did not want to be a party to girl talk, and he considered my request to be unreasonable and so he said, ‘Why don’t you get your mother to go with you?” I was very quiet, and did not say a word.  One thing I did not want to do was to "upset the apple cart." 

So I simply said to myself in my heart: “Forget it.” And so I did.

The truth was that I was healthy enough and could have made that drive by myself, but sometime back I had told my husband I would not leave him again, and he should always go with me.

The reference of leaving him was the time I had made plans to fly alone to Peru to participate in a Women’s conference. He was very upset about my trip and did not want me to go. I told him “This is something that I MUST do.” And I did.

When I returned from Peru he told me that while I was gone he had visited his doctor and the Doc asked him what was bothering him. He volunteered that he was angry with me for going off to Peru. His Doc said, “Next time you go with her.”

After Robert had told me about his Doctors visit, I answered him that I would not travel again with out him.

Remembering that comment caused me not to visit Gracie. Actually my husband was not holding me to a promise, because he simply meant for me not to be a world traveler without his agreement. It was my own misunderstanding not to go off by myself to visit my friend.

That Christmas I sent Gracie a Christmas card, and included my telephone number.

A few days later Robert and I had been out shopping and when we returned, there was a message from Gracie’s daughter that a couple months before, Gracie had suddenly passed away. I would have had time to see her if only I had acted on that gentle prodding from the Lord. I did not blame Robert - - I blamed myself for not being obedient to the urge!

There are thoughts that we receive that are nudges from the Holy Spirit, and when they occur it is not time to cast them off, but it is important to act on them.

There are many excuses that we can find to put off doing what we know should be done.

If you are ever urged in your spirit to visit an old friend, DO it. They may just need you!

Or you may truly just need to see them!


This post is linking up with Tracy at Winsome Wednesday
Linking with Jennifer at:  God Bumps and Incidences:  
Linked to the Mama Zone at Friends Day Wednesday