Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:20

It is the first week of the new year. The holidays are over. The company is gone and even as I was a bit sad for family to go to their homes, it’s also a relief, isn’t it?  Do the laundry. Take down the tree and decorations. Cook simply. Take a nap.  It’s back to normal life which is the life I actually love.

A week ago we threw away the old calendars and opened the crisp pages of new ones marking the unopened possibilities before us in 2022. After the last two confusing, stressful and troubling years, many of my friends and acquaintances were ready for all the old to be gone with a hearty  “Don’t let the door  hit you on the way out!”

However,  I also start  this year with a personal loss. My friend Lillian passed away  in Arkansas last Sunday. I received word that she’d gotten Covid, developed  pneumonia and was not expected to  survive.  Less than a day later she was gone, home to the Lord she so dearly knew, loved and served all her life. Honestly, I’m still stunned at how quickly she is gone.

The last time I saw Lillian, right before Thanksgiving, we had lunch as we often did. She was moving from Idaho to Arkansas to live with one of her daughters and was looking forward to  resettling,  meeting old friends  and being with part of her very large family. She wanted us to meet before she left to talk about our families and recent dramas – and God. We always talked about the Lord’s presence in all circumstances. She was a powerhouse regarding    the work of Holy Spirit and  God’s Word to heal.  She spoke  about the spirit of fear that has taken over our world and how believers need to stand firmly on faith and God’s grace. She refused to be manipulated by fear mongers during the pandemic and made  health choices based on  faith, not fear.  When we parted I think we both discerned  it would be the last time.

We became friends about 20 years ago. I’d met  her in our former church when I was still a very new Christian struggling with faith, the Bible and God Himself.  Our friendship developed slowly from the day she called to me coming from a recovery conference  in McCall. I stopped to say hello and shared concerns about the conference.  Typically, Lillian was blunt. “Why are you still going then?”  Why Indeed? Meeting her that day was a divine appointment. I never went back into “recovery” because she made me realize  it was time to move on. I needed Jesus, I needed the Word of God  and I needed the Holy Spirit’s indwelling.  

In the ensuing years, Lillian became not only friend but also my mentor. I learned more about prayer, spiritual warfare, discernment  and standing on the promises of God from her than almost anyone else. We shared some of  the best of times;  she held me up in prayer through some of the worst of times. Admittedly, our friendship had its ups and downs. Lillian’s personality and opinions were as bold her faith and could be overbearing. If she blustered and I bristled, somehow we worked things out into forgiveness and acceptance. Proverbs describes our friendship perfectly:

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

Lillian definitely sharpened me often! I believe it was a mutual honing of our rough edges for   over time and our ageing, we embraced the important  things which God revealed and helped one another let go of the rest.  I truly miss that already.

There are so few wise, loyal  friends  in a lifetime. To lose one is hard. And so I grieve my loss and pray for peace to all of her daughters, son, in-laws, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Lillian was the family’s  spiritual anchor  and wise counsel. She is their legacy, as she is partly mine. I see a moment with her. It was early on in PLCC, our little former church. I sat alone listening to heart rending  worship music unlike any I’d ever heard in the church of my youth. I heard a low voice rising from a seat nearby. It was deep and powerful, wafting toward me like a resonating  tower bell.  Lillian was singing, worshipping God with her amazing, gifted voice that could probably break a rock in half. It was the sound of a soul in high praise and one I shall never forget.

My calendar will have a lot of empty spaces in it where my friend once was.  I might pencil her in once in a while as I remember our friendship but I will not be sad any more. I rejoice that she is home  with Jesus were she longed to be so often.  Her earthly voice is silenced but I know she’s singing with the angels – Big Ben worship,  holding nothing back from the heavens or us.