Transparent Christian Magazine

One of my closest ‘lifetime’ friends is named Nearra. We have been through so much together.

Nearra had dealt with physical abuse and as a result had turned to alcohol. When I met her, she was completely controlled by this emotional crutch. Nearra’s self-esteem was so low, that she believed she would never get married, and due to a medical condition, she would not be able to have children. My cousin Janan and I took her under our wing, and we started encouraging her to quit drinking. She started calling us when she had slipped and bought alcohol, and my cousin and I would take a trip to her apartment to empty her liquor cabinet.

One day, she called me and told me she had a case of beer in her car that someone had given her. I told her to meet me in a parking lot, and I proceeded to take the beer out of her car and deposit it in my trunk. A few weeks went by, and I kept forgetting to get rid of the beer. Pretty soon you could hear the individual beer cans rolling around in my trunk. I went to the grocery store one day with my children, and headed to my car with the kids, a full cart and the bag boy. I opened my trunk, and my face blushed red. I stuttered and stammered that this wasn’t my beer. It was my friend’s beer. The more I explained the more I could see the young man was thinking, Yeah, uh huh, sure!

Needless to say, I promptly emptied the beer in the trash as soon as I got home.

After six months, it became apparent, that Nearra could not kick this habit on her own, so Janan and I planned an intervention along with Nearra’s mom. We took her to a professional facility to deal with her abusive past and her addiction to alcohol. Janan gave her a list of scriptures and I gave her a Hallmark card.

The next year was amazing. We watched as she held on to God’s hand and kicked her addiction as she immersed herself in counseling to deal with her past. That same year she met a wonderful man and fell head over heels in love. They got married in a eye dabbing wedding ceremony that is one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever seen. After she changed her medication and quit smoking, her doctor gave her the go-ahead to try for children. Nearra and Tim then proceeded to have children.

Nearra now has three little girls all under the age of three! Every time I see her, it makes me smile. She is an amazing mom and a walking example of God’s grace. I’m proud that she is one of my best friends. Who would know that I would come to need her as much as she had needed me?

In October of 2006, my mental illness of bipolar, got the best of me. After a bout with suicidal thoughts that lead to an attempt, my family sent me to a facility to get help. I was devastated and humiliated, and the only visitor I could have was my husband, and that was only for an hour.

The second night my husband brought me several things: a book, a package from my friend Nearra, and a Diet Coke. I opened the packet from Nearra and found a list of scriptures all on fear and how God cares for us. Included was a song from her mom all about how God loves us unconditionally. I read the lyrics and got teary eyed. But the kicker was a Hallmark card. It had two characters and the cover said “You’d be my friend no matter what…and it ended with “I guess you’re stuck with me, get used to it”.

I started blinking and getting confused because the card was signed by me.

Huh?

Then I read at the bottom the note Nearra included: “You sent this to me. I thought you may need it back.”

I realized this was the card I had given her just before she was admitted to a facility to deal with her alcohol addiction.

My hope is that you have the opportunity to experience the unconditional acceptance of friends who love you no matter what. Nearra and I have had ups and downs in our friendship, but we are bonded for life. Because I showed her unconditional love, she reciprocated it to me. That Hallmark card sure was worth every penny I spent on it; and the friendship? Well, yes, you guessed it: priceless!

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Michelle is thirty-four years old, married for fourteen years, and has four children. She says Jesus has been her Savior since she was two years old. Her passions include music and writing. She has had over 30 stories/articles published in magazines including Chicken Soup for the Grandma’s Soul, a youth devotional, and a national poetry book. She is currently working on getting two books published, and finishing up a novel as well as two children church curriculums. She continues to write to glorify God, and reach others who need to know about our “amazing heavenly Father”. Please contact Michelle here: Michelle Rocker