My "Jill"

I had a friend at my last highway home who had a “Jill” friendship. I was always so envious of their friendship….finishing each other’s sentences, spending the night with one another like they were sisters, keeping each other’s secrets safe without judging one another, yet also being able to be brutally honest with each other without the fear of losing one another. Well, eventually one friend moved far away, while the other stayed behind. I always wondered what happened to the closeness among the 2 friends, but I never asked. I heard a report on a local Christian radio station recently that a new study showed Christian adults do not have many close friendships aside from their spouse, if any at all. The commentator continued to talk about how important it was for us to feel connected to someone, other than our spouse, with whom we could feel close, talk to, and help out when needed (or something to that effect). I started thinking about the friendships I have had over my adult years. My family and I have moved around a lot, and although I yearn for close girl friendships, they are hard to make when dealing with other “life” situations at the time. For men, it’s even harder. Women, or at least this woman, tends to hold back more, to be more surface than deep, and just plain not have time or energy or money to invest in one more “thing”. And then while I was recently feeling sorry for myself over moving yet AGAIN and leaving behind a couple of really close friends, the radio program from above came on…..that started me thinking…..why do friendships, particularly close ones, fall apart when someone moves? My mind quickly went to someone whom I call “My Jill”. This person has A LOT in common with me. She can finish my sentences, she can understand my trials and tribulations because she has nearly had all the same ones, and she “gets” my husband and doesn’t criticize who he is (one of my biggest pet peeves). The thing that I love the most though, is SHE GETS ME! I can be me, no facad, and she is still my friend. I can tell her something I disagree with, and she is still my friend, and not calling me to say “Are we okay?”. But most of all, she shares my deep love for reaching the world for Jesus. I know “my Jill” would walk across fire for me, and I would defend her to my death. And that, my friends, is NOTHING compared to what my Jesus would do for me, and you. If you have a “Jill” friend today, tell her how much she is appreciated.