While on a walk last Saturday, a song about friendship cycled through my playlist. I hadn’t heard it in a while but I couldn’t help but smile, a teary eyed smile. The song reminds me of the deep friendships I have with a very special group of women, and this line gets me EVERY. TIME.
“You’ve carried me, You’ve taken on a burden that wasn’t your own.”
The song is by WaterMark and it’s old, circa 2000, but every time I hear this line, my heart explodes with gratitude for my “tribe”-the ones who have carried me and taken on burdens they didn’t have to. Have you ever had a friend like that?
My Pastor has often talked about the various levels of friendship. He says that we all have face-to-face friends, hand-to-hand friends and heart-to-heart friends. The descriptions are fairly self-explanatory and you can probably name friends that fall into each category. We have the most face-to-face friends, fewer hand-to-hand friends and even fewer heart-to-heart friends. These heart-to-heart friends are the ones we can trust with our deepest secrets, hurts, failures and victories. You know when you share something with your heart to heart friend it is safe. Your friend may hold you accountable but without judgment.
I am incredibly grateful for my tribe. We have been through some tough things together. I know when I need to talk they will listen. If I’m wrong, they will gently correct me and hold me accountable for what I know in scripture to be true. I can trust that they will pray for me and walk through my trial with me.
Most recently, I reached out to a member of my tribe who is literally on the other side of the world. I was struggling with the fear of the unknown and questions that don’t have answers. She spoke truth and helped me see that “the defeated one” was zinging arrows of fear, guilt and worry in my direction. She encouraged me to crouch behind my shield of faith and let God’s Word extinguish the darts of my “accuser.” And then, my favorite words she shared-“Borrow my faith for a bit if you need to.” Her words of encouragement and prayers for me doused the fiery darts and filled me with hope. To say I am grateful is insufficient. These friendships are life-giving. They are divine. I believe that God provides us with these heart-to-heart friendships so that we can experience in a real and tangible way a glimpse of His heart.
Do you have a tribe? Tell me about them.
If not, do you long for one?
A “tribe” is a gift. James 1:7 says, Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. If you long for a tribe, pray and ask God to begin assembling a tribe just for you.
To my tribe….I love you! This song is for you:
Chorus:
Cause you’ve been more than a friend to me
you fight off my enemies
cause you have spoken truth over my life
And you’ll never know what it means to me
just to know you’ve been on your knees for me
Oh, you have blessed my life
more than you’ll ever know
