As parents, we make lots of investments in the lives of our children and we pray they’ll pay off when they’re raised into adulthood. We invest time, energy, and money in things we believe will build character, skills, discipline, and hopefully bring college scholarships. As a mom, I haven’t always done everything right, but one investment that my husband and I have worked hard to make is the friendship investment. I’m not talking about taking our children to play dates or signing them up for activities so they’ll find good friends, I’m talking about investing in their friendships with one another as siblings. Romans 12:10 says,

Have you ever felt that prickly feeling of someone’s personality bristling up against yours? It’s the worst. I was in elementary school when I realized not everyone is going to like me. I distinctly remember writing on my workbook, Everybody hates me! Needless to say, I was a little dramatic. I think it was one girl who said something that made me upset and suddenly I felt like the whole world was against me. This scenario played out several more times in my school career, all except for the writing on the workbook part. Even into adulthood, I’ve found myself confronted with people who are difficult to love because they don’t seem to want to love me back. 

​Jesus said that we will experience rejection, as a matter of fact, we may even feel hatred from others. He certainly experienced both rejection and hatred. But, Jesus also taught in Matthew 5:43-48, 

Today I caught such a sweet glimpse of God revealing His glory in the beauty of His creation. I walked outside the doors of my church and spotted one of the most exquisite creatures I’ve ever seen. It was a giant moth. Now, I don’t normally find moths of any sort very attractive, but this one was an exception. My son and I stopped to look at it and we were awed by the glorious display of its wings moving to avoid our touch. Its wings were a vibrant green, about 3-4 inches across and had two sets of brown eye spots at the top. At the bottom was a billowing tail that looked delicate, almost like ribbons on the end of a kite. Its body was white and furry, with feathery antennae. I was enthralled. Some friends came out to see the moth with us and one said, Oh, that’s a Luna Moth. ​

​Recently, my husband said something that gave my heart a serious wake-up call. I was crying like I’ve been doing for the past two months since my best friend suddenly and unexpectedly went to heaven. My grief can be overwhelming and I was drowning in an ocean of tears when my husband walked in the room. He desperately wanted to comfort me, but when he looked me in the eyes, he said,

​“You know God’s Word tells us as believers that we do not grieve as those without hope. When I look at you like this, I don’t see any hope in your eyes.”

Although I knew he meant to help me, that statement felt like a punch in the stomach. His words continued to tumble in my mind until I sensed the Holy Spirit confirming what he said. “It’s true.” I thought, “My hope feels as broken as my heart does.”