My imaginary porch includes a railing with beautiful lush ferns and fragrant potted geraniums. On this imaginary porch, there is a creaking chain of the bench swing, swaying softly in a breezy. Bible pages flutter gently in the same breeze. There is a steady thump of rocking chairs working the floorboards. Condensation drips down tall glasses of sweet tea…or maybe steam comes off freshly creamed coffee. There is laughter on this porch. There are tears. There is calm. There is chaos. There are hopes and dreams. There is happiness and sadness. There is unconditional friendship. There is love.
That imaginary porch is pretend. The components of that porch are not. That porch is the beautiful gift that God prepared for me when he fashioned the sisterhood bond between Erin and Emily. He knew before we were conceived that our friendship was pre-ordained and that our desire to share Christ with others was bigger than either one of us. He created a porch for us to meet and he will continue to provide that meeting space.
Individually, we are independent, strong-willed, and generally outgoing. We are caring, loving, broken, and determined. And yet…together. Together, we are a mighty force.
We are both mothers, both leaders, both prayer-warriors, both baring scars of bad relationships, both with hope for Christian heads of household, and both walking out the dream to write and speak on a stage for God. That stage may be bigger than our wildest dreams. It might be our local churches. It could possibly be our work places. The stage may be “our” porch. We are committed to whichever stage God has in store for us.
Your imaginary porch may have screened in walls. Does it have a campfire and s’mores? Maybe snowdrifts surround your porch and your rocking chairs have snuggly warm quilts. Perhaps your porch is overlaid with pure gold, as in 2 Chronicles 3:4.
My porch has rocking chairs and scented geraniums. My porch can be any or all of these, as long as it’s got room for true companionship seen in the friendships that God can forge.
Come hang out with us on our porch…
~Emily
Iron Porch 