During this period of transition, wherever it winds up, God has made clear to me both a blessing and a truth.
He has made unmistakably clear the truth that real friends are those willing to speak truth to me. Hopefully in love but even bluntly and not so lovingly presented, the truth is the truth. And, individuals who really love me, love me enough to tell me what I need to hear, whether I like it or choose to hear it. Further, they are well adjusted and don't need my approval of that truth, my affirmation of them, or my acceptance of them to be okay with sharing it with me. And what is one of the principle messages they have delivered over this most interesting summer and now fall? "Bart, brother, your feelings should be viewed either very cautiously, or discounted entirely. Adults have feelings, yet make few decisions, and virtually NO important ones (especially if they involve others) based on feelings." As one commented recently, "Nothing will lead a person asserting to follow Christ out of God's will for him/her quicker than his/her feelings."
So thank you to my friends, old and new, who continue to love me enough to speak truth to me (regardless of my feelings about that truth), and to the God who has pursued me relentlessly for over 30 years and whom I am now hearing through those friends. Though upcoming chapters of life my not turn out as I had hoped, the truth will serve me well both now and in the future, regardless of circumstance.
The blessing God has opened my eyes to is how blessed I am to have friends who speak truth. Sadly, I watch as one dearest to me remains exclusively in the counsel of individuals who, perhaps because of their own failings (who knows) simply blow smoke at her, affirming what she wants to hear. It is painful to observe.
In times past, I have isolated myself from dear friends. Why? Quite simply because I knew individuals like Steve Mack, Phil Petty, Jeff Lucas, Ken Castle, Brent Matthews, Mark Love, Bill Minick, Bryan Duncan, James Reeves and countless others would not put up with my foolish notions or whining about my feelings. Each would, and in most cases has, shared from their heart what they knew would best serve me - even when it was hard for them to impart.
As a new day unfolds in life, I am a blessed man. Thank more of you than I can count for your genuine love for me, even when that love was inconvenient for you. Thank you for hard words, delivered at the appropriate time and in ways that even my hard head could hear.
Friends don't let friends live life absorbed in their feelings!
