Yesterday I sat at Starbucks for about two hours catching up with my friend Matt Mehaffey. He was in town and we were able to get together to catch up on each other’s lives.
As we sat there and talked, my mind drifted back to the time we drove down to Florida for the High School Ministry’s Spring Break. Our friendship was in its early stages, and it really blossomed that week. I had the late driving shift, so as we were making our way through Alabama on down through Panama City, Matt rode shotgun. While everyone else slept, Matt and I conversed and we really got to know each other. I’m normally a private person with parts of my life, but with Matt, I shared a lot of my past and he did as well. It was a great conversation, and the rest of the week just drew us closer.
Later on that year, Matt and Janie invited Nicole and I to be part of a new small group with them and the Fergusons. We accepted the invitation and became part of something really special. When the Bowman’s came aboard a few months later, our group was complete.
When Matt and Janie announced their call to Miami to plant a church, I was happy for them…and sad that such great friends were going to leave us. We eagerly jumped aboard with supporting the Pursuit, and that eagerness will never subside. It was a bittersweet day when we said goodbye to them when they left.
As Matt and I talked, I realized that Matt is one of my Jonathans. He is a great friend who supports me and isn’t afraid to keep me in check. We can talk about anything, and even if we go months without talking (other than Twitter), we pick up right where we left off. He is a great brother in Christ.
As we said our goodbyes, I felt that bittersweet feeling again. It didn’t last long. You see, (to borrow a line from MercyMe), “In Christ, there are no goodbyes.” It’s always “until we’re together again.”
As I drove away from Starbucks, I felt refreshed and re-energized. God has a way of doing that through family.
