Bring on the Color!

I realized today that 98.7834% of my posts on this blog are picture-less. I also realized that 98.23784% paint a very serious, always-thinking-logically Alyssa. Which, don't get me wrong. I LOVE the time that I spend meditating on the Word of God each day. I love the time I spend journaling and soaking in the goodness of His love and freedom without distraction.

However. I also have fun. I LOVE to have fun. Some of my favorite memories are random girl's nights and attempted Pinterest recipe fails. I love to sing loudly (and equally as awful) and plot master plans to mess with little sister's mind. I love having dance parties in the kitchen and making hilarious videos that no one else really thinks are funny. I love my friend time.

A lot.

I was thinking today about WHY I love this friend time so much. Why my heart is so full after time spent with each and every one of them.

And this is what I realized: Sometimes you have to see the world in black and white before you can value it in color. For so long, I craved friends in my life that would tell me Jesus truth and lay out their hearts. Friends who would speak truth to my life in a stark yes and no to help me understand why a promise is rainbow colored.

Sometimes, we just need to view our lives through the lens of a sweet, honest friend, and hear a voice repeat back blessings and verses we've heard dozens of times... but have forgotten to remember.

Friendship is one of the most beautiful things in my world. It's like the silhouette of the moon against the black night sky that promises a glimmer of light, beauty, and absence sometimes too.

I love time spent with my dear friends. I cherish it. I eat with them. Sing with them. Pray with them. Watch with them. See with them. Listen with them. Worship with them. Learn with them. Grow with them. Cry with them. Walk with them. Hurt with them. LIVE with them.

Vividly.

I'm so thankful for each role played in my life. Why? Because sometimes it's only when someone else picks up a crayon in a bright shade of yellow, orange, or pink with a perspective that I missed so that the image begins to come to life. to take shape. Color begins to develop in the dark. Hope is never, ever lost. Every once in a while, God uses a friend to bring us to the processing room, allowing us to capture His beautiful truths and promises to us once again.

There are frames in my room that hold pictures of my beautiful friends and I.

But living life with them? Such blessings cannot be framed.

For it's a process. of learning. of laughter. of joy. of forgiveness.

It's living art. and together, we find ways to leap outside the frame.

Thankful for the friends that bring color to my world.

Tell your friends you love them today!

~Alyssa/Lyssa/Lyss... whichever you prefer :)