Have you
ever felt lonely? Maybe you have a circle of friends, a husband, a few kids,
interesting work, perhaps even a ministry. But in a hubbub of activity, you
still get that “lonesome feeling” that country music stars croon about. It
happens to all of us at one time or another—because we’re human, because we’re
women. What women want, what we really want and need, is somebody who knows all
about us and loves us anyway. Somebody who accepts us--warts and all. A person
or maybe two that we can connect with and talk to on a level deeper than news,
weather, and sports.
Recently I
got that lonesome feeling after a huge family Christmas celebration winded down.
Our house had been literally bulging with people—three adult sons, one
daughter-in-law, six grandkids, one girlfriend, two playful dachshunds, and a
yellow lab. During jam-packed days between Christmas and New Year’s, we’d had
mountain-top moments, tender moments, and a few moments of laugh-till-you-snort
fun. I’d been blessed. But one evening soon after the family exodus, as I
slipped between the sheets and turned up the electric blanket, that lonesome feeling
hit me. Something was troubling me that I couldn’t talk about—not with my
family anyway. After all they are mostly men and I didn’t think they’d
understand. It involved one of my closest friends, a huge misunderstanding, a
few hurtful words, lingering silence between us. I wondered if things would
ever be right again. I decided to give her a call. She wasn’t at home. Or
maybe she’d seen my number on caller ID and decided not to answer.
How can we
women have a dozen things going great, and one thing that is not, keeps us
awake at night? How can one relationship blunder cast a shadow over all our
relationship blessings? Why do we mull it over and over until it becomes bigger
than it has to be? I’m not sure what the answer is, but I do know what women
want is smooth-sailing, warm-hearted relationships without storms. And I know
that when we are tired, the enemy attacks and upside-down thoughts need turning
right-side-up! That night, I looked toward my ceiling and said, “Lord, I need
your peace and I need rest. I’m going
to put this in your hands and go to sleep.” Almost immediately a verse from
Hebrews came to my near-exhausted mind. The next day I located it in a
translation that gives the full meaning of every word. I began to memorize
them. “For God Himself has said, ‘I will
not, in any way fail you, nor give you up, nor leave you without support. I
will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless, nor forsake,
nor let you down, relax my hold on you, Assuredly not!’” (Heb. 13:5 Amp.
Bible).
As the words
found their place in my heart I decided, Now
that’s what women want! It’s all we really need. One Friend--the Eternal Son of
God—the Friend of Sinners—the One who never changes—no matter what!
