Sarah, Emely...this is my daughter, Lily. Would it be okay if she joined you on the slide?

Sure! Yeah!

And off they went.

A few minutes later, I watched them run back by, all grinning ear to ear. Not long after that, Lily returned to get a sip of her drink, and after scanning the noisy room said, "I can't find my friends." So I helped her find them, quickly. After all, these days are fleeting, and I don't want her to miss a second of these easy, breezy friendships. These are the slide together, enjoy the same TV shows, sit by each other in class, first name basis is good enough kind of friends. Sure, they are immature relationships, lacking the depth and intimacy that will be the hallmark of her adult friendships, but boy, are they easy. And sometimes, there's just something to be said for ease.

One day, when her investments of time and emotion are greater, as she makes herself vulnerable, she'll learn the beautiful paradox found in the complex simplicity of having grown up girlfriends. Surely, as she learns the hard lessons of flawed humans building relationships, a time will come when I'll long to rewind to the day when her Daddy, little brother, and I were the only ones trusted with her heart. But I'll know then what I know now, which is, I would never want her to miss the joys of having wonderful, Godly friends. Though the friends that burrow a place deep in her heart are the ones who have the power to break it, they are also the ones who'll know just how to mend it when her man says something stupid, when her fat jeans are too tight, or when her dream job turns into a nightmare. She will have friends that she can laugh with until she cries, that recognize the break in her voice when she's trying not to cry, and that hold her hand when she can't help but cry.

And these women, these friends, be they many or few, are somewhere in the world right now. Little girls, making friends with ease on playgrounds and in classrooms. Little girls who are best friends today, then fussing tomorrow, then best friends again, as they awkwardly navigate the waters of developing friendships. And though I've prayed for her to love the Lord, prioritize her education, follow her dreams, find a Godly husband...I have never prayed for her grown up girlfriends. Girlfriends who will enter her life early, or may be in it already; and ones who will come later in life, just when she needs them. The friends that will carry her through life's ups and downs in ways that I can not. The friends who will support her, encourage her, correct her, and pray for her...the ones she'll call when she knows I'll overreact, or thinks I just don't understand.

So tonight, Lord, those little girls are on my mind. I do not know who they are, but You do. I pray for her discernment and wisdom when choosing friends, her tenderness and compassion when relating to friends, and her strength and integrity when protecting her friendships. Lord, help me set an example of how to be a friend, the kind of friend You desire sisters in Christ to be. A trustworthy friend, a generous friend, an intuitive friend, a patient friend, a prayerful friend, an encouraging friend. Lord, please bless my girl with a lifetime full of gut-busting, cheeks-hurting, mascara-running, laughter-filled moments with these friends. May her grown up friendships hold more tears of joy than tears of pain, and may those relationships last well beyond the years when she begins to pray for her own little girl's future friendships.