Have you ever had one of those friends who will do anything for you? It’s okay if you haven’t. I didn’t have friends like that until I was in my thirties. Mostly because I wasn’t that kind of friend to anyone else.

Several months ago, I was running regularly with a close friend of mine. She was just starting out with an exercise regimen to get back in shape. Many days she struggled to run the distance without stopping. Sometimes her legs were tired. Sometimes her mind won out because she didn’t believe she could run that far. And sometimes the elements of wind and rain were too much to endure.

I remember one day in particular. The headwind was extreme.

We were about halfway through the run when a blustery, unrelenting wind kicked up. And it pushed full force against us. My feet plodded slowly as I fought to keep running and I could see that she was really struggling. So I took an extra step up and over, and I began running in front of her. Why?

To be a friend who breaks wind.

No, not the other break wind. I mean a friend who bears the brunt of something coming at us. Someone who shields a struggling sister and helps her keep going. Helps her finish. Helps her overcome.

A friend who stays close and presses on one step at a time.

This is what sisterhood is all about. On that day, I was able to encourage my dear friend by showing her what we could do together. My experiences from the past had taught me that no matter how forceful the wind, my body was strong enough to run through it. It was an obstacle I had overcome before. But she had never experienced it first hand.

So we did it together.

I was so proud of her. She didn’t give up and we finished the entire run. Even with the intense headwind. We reveled in our joint victory that day and my friend went on to become a very strong runner.

Praise the Lord for friends who break wind! We’re always stronger running the race of life with sisters than trying to persevere on our own.

Who can you shield today?

“Two are better than one… If one falls down, [her] friend can help [her] up. But pity the [girl] who falls and has no one to help [her] up!” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

May I pray?

Lord Jesus, thank You for showing us through Your life story what sacrificial love is all about. We need friends who shield us when we’re not strong enough to stand on our own, but many of us don’t have those kinds of friends in our life right now. Please help us to see how we can be a friend who shields others. And in so doing may we grow new bonds of sisterhood strengthened by Your love. Amen.

Q4U: Who can you shield today?