Speaking Truth

At church yesterday, we read over several passages and one of them stood out in my mind....
Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" I was reminded of how deceptive our heart can be and that, because of our sinful nature, it can't be trusted. Yet we are surrounded by a culture that tells us to just follow our hearts and do what we think is right. Which lead me to thinking about the people I have in my life that I know will speak truth to me and how thankful I am for them. You see, so often I can think that I know what is right and what is best, but I am SO blessed to have 3-4 friends in my life that are willing to stick their necks out and tell me things I might not want to hear, yet need to hear. Matt and I both realize that in marriage, parenting, and life, there are many things we don't know (more that we don't know than we do know) and we have a strong desire to learn from those who are wiser than us. We have committed to always be reading a book on marriage or parenting and trying to constantly grow in our knowledge and wisdom. But we still fail, many times, and it is in these times when I am so thankful for the women in my life who will speak truth to me and tell me what I need to do, change, consider, etc. And let me just say that this is never easy--for them or for me. But they love me enough to say the difficult things and I have been thinking lately about how thankful I am for them. My walk with the Lord, my marriage, my relationships with others, my role as a mother--all of these aspects of my life would be so drastically different if it weren't for these women in my life. (As a side note, Matt has a few men in his life who do the same thing and as his wife, I am also so thankful for them!)
I pray that my children will have relationships like these as they grow up--that they wouldn't shy away from them but would embrace them and grow in them. And it is these people who keep Matt and I accountable in our life on a regular basis. If it weren't for these friends and our relationship with Christ, we would be so lost.
I could go on and on, but I will end by saying that all this talk is mostly to say 'thank you' to these women in my life. You are amazing blessings to me and such wise women! I pray that I would have the same wisdom you have had as you have spoken truth in to my life when I might not have wanted to hear it (which is almost always, isn't it? We get defensive before we can truly hear the what the Holy Spirit may be trying to tell us!) Thank you for your persistence, love, and above all, your commitment to growing in your own faith in the Lord. Because when you grow, so do I!!