My 1000 Things #1

I am thankful for friends who trust me enough to let me see them struggle.

I have a friend who recently moved away from her home and family to train for what she thought was her dream job.  She was so excited and of course, I was excited for her!  She was gone for exactly two weeks before failing her first round of testing and being sent home.  She was devastated and as her friend I was too.   

By the worlds standards my friend failed, big time.  She took a risk and lost.  But I hope she never feels her experience was in vain.  If nothing else, her experience has taught me many things.  1) How much I love and appreciate her friendship.  Her honesty with the world, her trust in me, her confidence in herself- I admire and respect these things in her more than I can say.  I hope to be that honest, trusting, confident someday.  2) The fear of failure in me is real and has kept me from doing many needful things.  It has kept me from failing- yes.  But it has also kept me from feeling the joy of doing what I never thought I could.  It has kept me from the growth that comes from stretching and striving.  I am beginning to understand that failure to try is far worse than failure to succeed.  3) Failing is nothing to be ashamed of because the people who love us the most will be there to pick us up when we fall, dust us off and send us on our way- cheering us on all the while.  Friends actually make failure easier to bear.  4) No one is immune to the struggles of life.  We are all fighting our own desperate battle.  Understanding that and really believing it has changed me in a profound way.  It has made it possible for me to love people for who they really are not for the burdens they carry in this life.  It has helped me see myself anew- more the way I imagine God would have me be. 

So today I thank you dear friend, for trying and failing and not hiding it for me.  Your experience and friendship have taught me so much!