I Remember You
by Shelly Wyrick

I had just met her but—yeah, I knew—we were gonna be great friends. Honestly, I don’t think it was even a Side By Side meeting. I was in my first post-partum fog and just remember gathering at another mom’s house where we were introduced. Like me, she’d worked as a physical therapist, she was also the wife of a resident, and she loved Jesus. Those early years of meeting at the library for story time or a walk through the park are cherished memories of our time living in the same city. We did life burden by burden and joy after joy…. side by side. I cannot count the times she lifted me up, validated and inspired me.

Our newborns are now 17 years old. We live in different states and rarely get the golden opportunity to catch up. Yet she remains one of the few people in this world who gets me. Currently, she is going through a rough patch and as my heart is heavy for her, I wonder if she could possibly know how deeply she is loved or how often I pray.

Philippians 1:3-6
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (NIV).

Separated over time and distance, Paul writes this to his friends in Philippi, remembering them with thanksgiving, joy, prayer and the confidence that God will get them through.

Odds are you have a Side By Side friend, and odds are, given the road of medicine, you will be separated from this saint. Nevertheless, you carry them with thanksgiving, joy, prayer and confidence that God will get them through. What a gift to cherish—a friendship in Christ for the ages.

Remembering with Thanksgiving and Joy
Remember your sisters-in-Christ with thanksgiving and joy. Maybe it was last week you connected for the first time, or like me, almost two decades ago. Remember how they supported you in your faith, and you in them. From the messy years to the messed-up years, they are there. Thank God for that. What joy there is in our friendship!

Remembering in Prayer and Confidence
The burden of a friend’s pain is heavy. I’m with you. But Paul’s letter to Philippi reminds us that God is faithful in carrying them until the day of Christ. Maybe you’re the friend with the burden. We’re with you! Your Side By Side loves you and is praying in confidence that God is not only with you, He will see you through!

Heavenly Father, Bless (friend’s name) today, right where she is and in what she is facing. Help her to love you with her whole heart. Help her to see the direction You want her to go and help her chase after You with delight. Fill her with the Holy Spirit. Protect her marriage and friendships. Help her to be anxious about nothing, but pray about everything and as a result Lord, give her a peace that passes all understanding. Bless her and keep her and make Your face to shine upon her. Help her to feel remembered and loved today. Amen.

Shelly Wyrick is wife to her manly medical man and mom to four kids. She was a physical therapist before becoming a stay-at-home mom and now loves being an artist and freelance writer. You can learn more about her on her website, merge52.com.