Preparing my HeartThanksgiving always promises to be great (family, friends, and food = automatic win) but this one was especially special for me. I was able to bring some international students home with me this year, which I was at first hesitant about. After all, these friends got along well with me...but not necessarily with one another. But God is good.
About two weeks before Thanksgiving I began pondering the possibility of inviting my international friends home with me, because obviously they were not going to see their families. The Holy Spirit said "you need to do this...blessings will come." God was good.
So, I told both of my friends they could come home to Missouri and they were both excited/relieved to know they had a place to stay. I knew at this point that I needed to pray for God to use this break to make changes in myself and my friends. God answers prayers.
The Break
Home seemed normal to me at first, but it was unique when my friends came into the picture. They brought new life to my house which I grew to enjoy. It was fun, and God did not wait long to act.
Friend #1 who has been struggling recently as he grows to understand what a man is and how he goes about growing towards manhood. Judgment has been a major monster in his path. He feels judged and hated. God broke my heart for him in this; life can be hard.
As a friend that I have continually grown to trust more, Friend #1 has also grown to trust me. Because of this, Friend #1 was able to open up to my parents like I never would have expected. He was able to hear some much needed counsel/wisdom from my amazing parents. God softened his heart to hear the Word...to hear that God was not absent in his life, that there was hope for him NOW.
Later in the weekend I was able to have one of those classic college "late night" conversations with both my buddies. My two friends, who usually don't interact well, were having a deep "life" conversation with one another. They were sharing, laughing, and encouraging each other. Their once reluctant relationship was changing. Also, I was able to hear incredible stories about Friend #2's past. About his family, home, life. God is good.
Finally, Friend #1 began asking amazing questions...
"How can I have what you have Ethan?"
"How can I change?"
These questions demonstrate the seeds God is planting in his life. He has a desire to change. God is so good.
But even more than others growing, I believe I have been blessed the most. Seeing my friends drawn to the truth, my family working to serve the weary and depressed, and my God intricately shaping it all has given me so much joy. I may have had my first truly thankful thanksgiving.
Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint -ISAIAH 40:30-31
