Non-Believing Friends

Author:  Susan L. Prince

I have a long time friend. In fact, she and I were so close that we shared a home for 14 years. She was my best friend and we shared much of our lives together. We vacationed together, shared meals together, and shared triumphs and tragedies. One day that all came to a stop because she fell in love.

The man that entered her life was clearly not the one for her. I knew it. She didn't. She pursued a relationship and basically just pushed our friendship aside. It was a difficult time in my life, that rejection from my best friend. Part of the problem too was the fact that I so much disapproved of her choice in a man. There are more details about how this all affected me and if you would care to, you can read about it as part of my testimony. I was so hurt by it all.

Eventually, that circumstance and others in my life led me to realize that I was in need of a savior. God worked in so many amazing ways that I finally committed my life to Christ on April 4, 1999. It's four years today! Woohooo!

As on on fire Christian 4 years ago, I wanted so bad for my friend to know the Lord. To her, I probably looked insane. A Jesus freak if you will. Going to church all the time, reading my bible, playing my praise music LOUD and just flying high on the Spirit.

Shortly after that it became apparant that I needed to move on with my life and in the direction Christ wanted me to go. I moved from IA to TN and started my new life. God has blessed me ever since and I have always had my friendship with T in mind. Over the years I have prayed for her salvation. There is a part of me that is still hurting because I forever lost that close relationship. She no longer shared the intimate details of her thought life, or her life in general. It's a weird thing.

Well, recently she emailed me. She was open with me about a lot of things, mainly her relationship with Mike and how it is over now. From what I understand, it was an up and down relationship almost all through it because a couple of years ago she called me because she was upset that they had broken up. From what I can tell, her heart has been broken many times by this man. She shared some things that have re-emphasized how much in need of a savior she is. She considers herself a Christian, but so did I as do so many people before their salvation experience. I lived with her for 14 years, I know she doesn't have a real relationship with God.

It was my opportunity to share with her about my Jesus. I thought about it for a couple days...and then the other day I got an email again from her that asked "you haven't responded to my email answering your personal questions. Is there something wrong?" I guess I had waited too long. I immediately wrote back and words flowed as I shared a bit of testimony. It is hardest for me to share with a friend, moreso than a stranger. But, I was very very bold. After I hit "send" I waited for a response. It didn't come until last night.

I prayed that my words may have fallen into a heart open to receive them. I prayed God was working on her from other angles. The email I got kind of crushed those hopes. It said "Thanks, Sue. I will think about what you said" -T. That's all it says. It sounds like a courtesy response. I guess it's all in God's hands. I do feel good that I responded to the prompting and shared what I could about God and now it is the Holy Spirit's work. I can't change hearts, I can only share what I know. That's what I did. Ten years from now, T may recall the words of my email and wish to know more.

Pray for T today.