Marching In... Like a Prayer Warrior

Ah, so here is March, that lion-like month which enchants us and irritates us equally as much, because we see spring ahead yet can't quite reach it. I promise my Spring Have-Read List mid-month sometime (after the first day of spring).

I have been thinking over the last few days and weeks what a blessing it is to be surrounded by friends, and what it means to be a part of a covenant family. 2017 was a rough year for me, I'm praying that 2018 is much better, by far, and trusting that God will continue to provide for me. He already has, too.
I was supported in prayer by so many, and in turn I know each close sister in Christ has their own struggles. I pray for them, too. You really don't know what someone is going through when you meet them. I've learned that everyone experiences their own pains in life. You can't measure their pain to yours, or yours to theirs. Your pain is yours, their pain is theirs. If you are compassionate and listen, sometimes you are blessed with the opportunity to be included as a prayer warrior for your friends- what an honor that is! It becomes a wonderful honor when you realize you have prayed so often and so deeply for one another that you realize these people are family. Family is not just defined by blood, but by the likeness of our hearts, and proven by the giving of ourselves to others. I know who those who care are not by what they have said to me, but what they shown to me.
I can honestly say that my family has grown significantly greater year by year. This past year, my family grew and continues to grow, but it had some losses, too. I realized how exceptionally blessed I am to have a church family; I learned that a lot of people had been praying for me, and I don't know If I'll ever have the time or the words to express gratitude for that to every single one of them. I may not even know who all of them were. It makes me deeply sad that there are people out there who can't imagine what it is like to have a God-centered family this grand and this great. I can't imagine what it must be like not to have one at all.
So I guess this is a thank you for some of you (you know who you are) but it is also a call-to-action for others if you don't have these things. While technically 2018 has already begun, we're still experiencing winter, and there are so many chapters yet to read in so many books. Spring is on its way, offering a chance at new beginnings, new endings, new events, new family. I'm planning to tackle all of them with a prayer warrior's heart, open hands and listening ears.