After a great time with one of my best friends the other night, I drove us back to my house where she had left her car. As we said goodbye, she thanked me for being excited about her pregnancy and the upcoming birth of her first child...
How could I be anything but excited?
She recognizes that I am older than her... and it should be my turn first (or something like that). I will admit - it would be easy to think this way. I should have been married first; I should be the one preparing a baby room. But I'm not and she is. She is expecting a baby while my left hand remains naked. She's right. It would be easy to be upset, disappointed, and hurt. It would be easy to feel left out.
But, again I ask... How could I be anything but excited?
Would it be fair of me to try and take her joy away from her simply because I do not have a joy of my own? Would it be right of me to try and make her feel guilty simply because she has something that I don't? Instead, I think of the great advice from God on this subject...
Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15
This is the way our friendship works. That night, she wept with me as I grieved over my singleness (and finding yet another guy who will not be "the one"). We wiped our tears and hugged. She grieved with me and comforted me. That night, I rejoiced with her as she placed my hand on her stomach to feel the baby kicking. We laughed at her story of her trip up the elevator at work and how a co-worker noticed her entire stomach move with the kick of her baby inside.
I may not have a child inside my barren womb. But I will have the joy of visiting her in the hospital in a few short months. I will be able hold and cuddle with that bundle of joy. I'll have the pleasure of visiting her at home and taking care of the little one while she takes a much needed nap or shower. I'll even change diapers for her.
I am blessed beyond measure. I may not have a ring on my finger and I may not have children of my own. But I have two best friends - one who has already given me three little loves and another who will be giving me a bundle of joy in a few short months. I am blessed because these wonderful friends love me enough to share their joy with me.
Yes, I am blessed and I will rejoice with my friends as they rejoice.
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