You must have people who love you enough to say what needs to be said but will also stay with you as you move forward. They highlighted my anxiety, pridefulness, self-pity, and lack of self-control (hmmm, my cycle of rants) during discussions with them. I did not want to hear that. But I needed to hear it, and they walked with me as we prayed for the Holy Spirit to transform me. They were sensitive to the Holy Spirit in things I needed to be convicted of, didn’t co-sign mess, and walked with me. They did this day in and day out.
Faith, Friendship, and Fulfillment
They asked tough questions. I recalled being asked, “Marlissa, did you walk away from your call?” What? I always viewed it as we were not living what we were teaching, giving me the right to stop. It forced me to have a conversation with God. I don’t know how often I was asked, “Is God sovereign or not?” I can often have two text conversations with Donna and Deneka about the same thing, and it is almost as if they are copying and pasting their responses. Nearly every single time, the Holy Spirit speaks a consistent message to them to share with me.