I have a friend...

So, I have this friend who was married to this dude. They had a child together - things were cool. Then the dude stepped out on my friend and left her for this other female. My friend was devastated. But she continued to live her life as best as she could. For a long time, the dude wouldn't even see about his child and for a single mother, you long for your child to have a meaningful relationship with their father even if you aren't together anymore.

So years pass, the bickering is never ending, the tears are flowing, and tempers are flaring. My friend often picks at her face leaving marks that she covers up with foundation - due to the stress of a broken marriage. She is still legally married to him, she can't afford to divorce him and is leaving it up to him to pay for it. All the while, I'm trying to point her to Christ. She grew up in the church, but wandered away from its truth to embrace the beliefs of Mohammed and the nation of Islam. But I know that God is still tugging at her heart because when she hears certain gospel songs, she will sometimes break off into a praise dance (war dance she calls it) or she'll tell me how a song gives her the chills. That's the work of the Holy Spirit.

I pray that she will see herself as the child of God that she is, never settling for the mess that satan tricks her into thinking she wants. She told me that it had been a while since she had really felt upset about her situation, and asked me if I had noticed. She said that for the first time in a long time, she was able to pay the rent without feeling bad because there wasn't enough money in the bank to get the other things that were needed. But I told her that she's feeling ok because she isn't in the midst of a full-blown storm. How will she stand when the winds of life are strong enough to uproot a mighty oak tree?? Why are we so foolish in thinking that as long as we're up by 15 points in the third quarter, that God should just sit on the sidelines until the game all of a sudden looks like the other team is going to make a come-back and win? I'm guilty also, so please don't think that I'm just airing someone's dirty laundry and not acknowledging my own piles of unwashed stuff.

I just want more for her, like I want more for myself. This world has nothing to offer me compared to what God already has for me.