The Friend Pool

Falling in love, or allowing yourself to fall in love is the scariest, most rewarding feeling that can ever be had. I believe that God answers prayers. I like to imagine praying for a baseball, running to a ball field, facing home plate and waiting for one to be hit to you. You get in your crouch, smack your hand in your glove, spit out some sunflower seeds and rock back and forth. Somebody from the bleachers behind you calls out your name. You turn around only to realize that they've just tossed you that beloved baseball. They then tell you that it's Ken Griffey Jr.'s 600th home run ball. Don't get lost in somebody giving away the ball, notice that the prayer was answered, just not in the way it was expected. God rewards our faith, and he answers prayer in a way that we cannot figure out. If we could figure it out and we knew all the answers, would there be a need for prayer?

That's how I equate the "friend pool." Who doesn't want to fall in love with a close a friend and have a happy marriage and a good life together? I believe that is what makes a marriage successful, but too often I hear people wonder aloud why there isn't anything happening with the people that are right in front of them. I can't answer that question, but I believe that the magic that happens between two people cannot be forced or made. That magic; it just has to duke you, leave you surprised, have you in awe, make you gasp, cause a giggle at being fooled, smile - you know, feel like magic, but that happens when you aren't afraid to love, when you're willing to take a chance on what could be the most rewarding and exciting moment of your life. Like the guy who prayed for the baseball, he made his way to the field. For those of us who want that special relationship, why not start with loving God with the best you have to offer? Why not tell God that you love him, without him having to ask you? Why not make time to spend with him, even though it may be inconvenient for you? Why not help those around you, who are in need, as God would ask of those that love him? Why not love yourself, value your heart, consider your feelings, and work at ever growing in your knowledge, your faith, your dreams; wouldn't you want someone to do the same for you? How then will you be able to do that for someone else, if you cannot do it for yourself or for God? Get out on the field, but remember that we often have to forgive a wrong to make it out there. Forgiveness means forgiving what has happened in the past. It doesn't mean putting yourself in a situation where it can be repeated. You know the saying, those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. The past happened already. It is called the past for a reason.