never underestimate

Never underestimate the power of words.

On Friday, I had a conversation with a former co-worker and friend of mine. Prior to our conversation, we had not spoken in about 3 weeks. The last time that we talked, she was about to have her 1st child. I called her to check on her and to find out whether she had a boy or a girl. She told me that days after we spoke, she had a seizure. During the seizure, the oxygen to the baby was cut off. The baby, a little girl, did not survive. My friend almost died. I was shocked to hear the news. I knew that it had not been an easy pregnancy for her. She had some health issues, lost her job, and broke up with the baby's father during the pregnancy. There are no words to console someone who's lost their child. Personally, I hope to never know what that feels like.

Never underestimate the power of a friend

She began to tell me that she "didn't know how she was gonna make it". She was stressed over the lack of money and being unemployed. I advised her to apply for unemployment benefits. Although it's not much, it's something to help. She said that she had become depressed and was facing the possibility of losing her apartment because she couldn't pay the rent. I reminded her that we all go through struggles. Some are bigger than others. We all go through peaks and valleys. My belief in GOD helps me understand that no situation is TOO hard to overcome. I reminded her of that. I won't say that I know every verse in the Bible but I do have a relationship with GOD. I don't try to impose my beliefs on anyone but I believe in GOD and what he can do for us.

Never underestimate the power of prayer

Before we ended our call, I told a few jokes and made her laugh. She sounded much better than she did before. I told her that I'd call her on Monday to check in on her. When we got off the phone, I said a quick prayer for her. It wasn't anything out of the norm. I will pray for my friends...so I did just that. Later that afternoon, my phone rang. It was my friend. I answered the phone and I could hear the excitement in her voice. She had just landed a job that she interviewed for earlier in the week. The new job will allow her to get out of the debt that she's in and will give her a piece of mind. While a new job won't bring back the child that she lost, it's a positive step in the right direction for her.

The moral of this blog is that prayer works. One thing that I've learned that sometimes it's just as important for you to pray for others more than you pray for yourself.