Today I Reveal My Friend’s Secret Identity

I have a friend who is a secret agent, an operative in the service of the Kingdom of God. Today, I thought it was time to reveal her secret identity.

So, this friend, Kathy, just celebrated a milestone birthday. I’ll try to be sensitive here, since she’s older than I am but it starts with a 5 and ends with a 0. As I write this, she’s fifty and two days (but who’s counting?).

She and I have been friends for close to twenty years. Our children grew up in each other’s homes. Kathy and her husband are our “go-to” people. The ones we make time to go out with. The ones we call in emergencies. The ones our kids know they could call on if we weren’t around.

She knows my failings and I know hers. People think she’s perfect – and believe me – she’s way closer than I am. I know she isn’t but I won’t tell.

Kathy and I have lost two close friends to death. One God called home in her early forties and another barely graced the decade Kathy (and soon I) are privileged to enter. Because of this, I welcome and celebrate the coming of age (or of middle-age or of old-age). It is a joy that many will not experience.

So, I’ve been thinking about my friend and her fifty years on this earth. I’m thinking I don’t want to wait until she’s gone to celebrate and honor her. So, fifty (did I say she just turned fifty?) seems like the perfect time to tell you about her life.

She isn’t famous. She doesn’t wield any significant power or privilege in worldly circles. Neither Time nor Christianity Today are marking her birthday with tributes. But my friend is far from ordinary.

I believe that when we are in heaven and see all things clearly, Kathy will glow with a light that will inspire others to ask – “Who is that? Was she someone famous on earth? What great thing did she do to earn all those rewards?” And those in the know will answer “She was not famous but she was faithful. She didn’t seek riches but she took risks – she moved outside her comfort zone in the name of Christ. There are many here today because of her quiet ministry on earth.”

You see, my friend has been a faithful child of God above all else in her life. She appears before Him all the time, she studies His word, she prays, she worships, she is obedient to His commands and she serves those around in love.

She has been a faithful wife and a loving, devoted mother. She has been a priest in prayer for her family (immediate and extended), her friends and for many others in her life. She has spoken up and spoken out even when it was uncomfortable. She has risked alienation and ridicule to tell others the truth of Christ.

Kathy has been the arms and legs of Jesus on earth, taking Him into housing projects, mission fields, hospital rooms and places she never dreamed she would go. Quietly offering practical help, comfort, consolation, confrontation and care all in the name of Jesus. Both her checkbook and her calendar reflect a woman whose life is devoted to Christ.

In the second half of her life, Kathy’s not looking for the easy road. Retirement is not her goal. Pressing on to new adventures and claiming new territory for Christ are the goals in her mind and on her heart. Kathy is always looking to go deeper with Jesus and to be a caregiver to those around her that often others don’t even see. For Kathy, that 50 mark was no finish line but simply a mile marker in her marathon with Christ. If anything, it was a call to take on greater risks and volunteer for more dangerous assignments.

Many don’t know the quiet acts of service she performs for those to whom God has assigned her. I know. God knows.

She’s not a saint. I could write another blog post about the ways she can be irritating and exasperating. But, that’s why I think it’s important for you to know about her. Because you can be her, too.

Well, not her, exactly, but like her because what is special about Kathy is that Jesus lives within her and acts and moves in this world through her. She will make a lasting impact on this planet because Jesus has had free rein (and free reign) in her life.

My friend lives a life with eternal repercussions. It’s my honor to know her, to serve with her on the battlefield, to be her friend. Our friendship is eternal because of Christ.

Are you an operative in the service of Christ? If not, what are you waiting for? Don’t pass through this world and miss the adventure, loved ones. You can hear it calling you – today is the day to answer.

“Jonathan said to David, ‘Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.'” I Samuel 20:42