Awhile back, we were at our favorite place in the world.
Sonic.
Yes, I realize I should have said something holy…like church. Or our house. Or visiting a soup kitchen. But the reality is that we love Sonic. I was getting a Coke Zero and Graham was getting a shake and I was so excited. Even with all of Adelaide’s medical bills and raising three children on one income, we allow for the Sonic splurge. Last year, we went almost three months without Sonic. It wasn’t good. I saved us $16 and about lost my marbles. We decided to work Sonic trips into the budget.
Anyway, I got a text message. It about made my heart stop. A friend asking if I ever felt depressed. Like not the normal I-am-a-mom-and-my-kids-are-about-to-send-me-into-a-closet funk, but a bona fide depressed state. I didn’t really know how to answer. I had experienced the hormonal ups and downs. The moments where I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to keep everything going until Dave got home from work. The really long showers where you just stand under the hot water crying and pretend you don’t hear the baby screaming on his lap. But I have never been depressed. Not the kind she was asking about. So, I told her no. And explained how I had felt at times. And told her to talk to her doctor. And told her that I loved her. And told her that I was praying for her. Then, I prayed. And I felt God saying, “You need to call her nurse.”
Ahem? I am not doing that. I don’t like looking crazy and I am pretty sure this person just confided in me. Doesn’t it break all kinds of laws that maybe shouldn’t even be in existence anyway to do that? But God laughs at my questions, because He doesn’t care about me not wanting to look weird and silly and intrusive. He wants me to listen.
Right there at Sonic, where I had been nursing Bess and listening to Graham cry about his shake being too shakey, I called my friend’s nurse. I told her what I knew. I asked her to call my friend. To tell the doctor. And she did. The nurse didn’t think I was overstepping my bounds. She didn’t think I was being a busy-body or a worry-wart. She said, “Wow. You are such a good friend. It takes courage to step out and do something that probably felt weird.” She acknowledged that it wasn’t normal. But that didn’t mean that it was wrong.
I am pretty sure my friend would have called her doctor the very next day, but I think God was wanting me to call for me. He wanted me to step out of my friendship comfort zone and do something that my flesh thought was absurd. And no Sonic drink can top the feeling of freedom and release you experience when you listen to the Holy Spirit and follow God’s prompting…but that Coke Zero still tasted pretty amazing. Not gonna lie…
Time’s Up…
Linking up with Lisa-Jo Baker for Five Minute Friday. Unscripted. Unedited. Real.
1. Write for 5 minutes flat for pure unedited love of the written word.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Be generous and leave an encouraging comment for the person who linked up before you. That’s the best part about this community.