A friend in need

Relationships are tricky. You want to have friends but sometimes you end up in the middle of something that you really just wish you weren't in. We live in a very close knit neighborhood. To close I guess. There are always friends outside for the kids to play with and the parents watching them. Which means you find out way to much information and that you never really get a moment's peace during your time outside. Right now I have a dear friend who is struggling with the choices made and how it affects her family. It seems like it has put a strain on everyone around here not just that particular family. I am trying to distance myself from all the gossip that is going on but it seems to be the only topic anyone wants to discuss. I spoke with my friend yesterday and she is in pain. She is having a hard time forgiving herself and doesn't really believe that she will get God's forgiveness. In the brief few minutes that I spoke with her I tried to tell her that our God was bigger and better than that and that He does forgive. Since I have never been good at quoting scripture all I could do was tell her that He will forgive all our sins as long as we have a truly repentant heart. She seemed so surprised to hear this since she truly felt the person who she hurt was supposed to forgive her first before she could ask for God's forgiveness. I promised her it wasn't that way, but I wish I could have had some scripture locked away in my brain to quote to her to prove it was so, but I wasn't. She did share with me that for the first time in ages they are starting to go to church together as a family in hopes of healing. Hopefully they will have an open heart and hear God's words of love and forgiveness. All I can do is pray for them and continue to be their friend. And while I know this is vital to them, I just wish there was more I could do. So if you think about it please remember them in your prayers. I want them to truly experience all the love and forgiveness that God has to offer and become whole again.