Hello!

My name is Heidi, and I am Sarah’s most beloved cousin ;) which is all you need to know really. It’s nice to meet you. Sarah has chosen to pass me the metaphorical ink and pen…so I hope these thoughts encourage and inspire your heart.

Feels like Home.

Have you ever wished you could call a friend about anything and almost any point of the day and know they would either pick up right away or call back as soon as they could? Has your vehicle ever started making a wild noise you’ve never heard before? Not sure what setting the broiler should be on for proper salmon cooking? Have a big question about God? I never knew I would be blessed with these types of question answer-ers (it’s a new word) in this life.

I lived, nearly 11 months, with this kind of family. But their friendship spanned well before that time, and has continued well after. It’s a different kind of friendship blessing to have someone take you under their wing and claim you as one of their own. There are two notable friendships in my life that have gone above the duty of simple friendship, to the point of opening their home, their fridges, and their schedules on repeated occasions.

While I’ve been blessed with many friends in my nearly 30 years, there is something unique about these friends that has made them notable from the outset. Who wouldn’t want to keep these kinds of people around for the journey?! In reality, finding this, was unfortunately, not instant. I prayed for people like this for 7 YEARS which is partially why this family is such a big deal to me. God answers prayer! But that’s a chat for another day. ;)

Kevin & Heather

2016 - Met because their kiddos were in the youth group/ small group I led. Fast forward to 2021 & their oldest is leaving for college this week!

2017 - Financial mentoring relationship with Heather began. (S/O to Dave Ramsey!)

2018 - Got Kevin a handyman job at the church I was working at, and let’s be real, this was actually so I could daily have a spiritual mentor on retainer.

2019 - Opened their home to me. We would see the good, bad, and ugly of each other. And I would experience outrageous generosity in finances, time, and food.

Vulnerably Authentic & Outrageously Generous.

These two things feel like home to me. These are the things that are not always simple or easy. Being authentic to the point of “Ew, I didn’t know they could be that way. This shatters my perfect view of them” is funny at best and terrifying at worst. Being generous is not always convenient. It means putting others before yourself and giving up self-preservation. These two things can be very messy at times, but they create home. They create the feeling of family. They inspire me to be generous and vulnerable, because this makes others feel safe.

When I meet people like this family I grab on tight, because they feel like Jesus. Jesus was real in these ways with his closest friends. He was vulnerable with Peter, James, and John in one of his darkest hours. Jesus was in the garden praying, fully knowing he was soon to be arrested, tortured, and killed.

Matthew‬ ‭26:38-39‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

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Soul crushed with grief to the point of death? If that isn’t real talk, I don’t know what is!

Jesus was also crazy generous in his darkest hour. He didn’t just die, which would have been enough, he was taking care of others while he was being tortured! He spoke to a group of women, He made sure his mother was taken care of, and he forgave a man being killed beside him. (Check out Luke 23 & John 19 for these awesome snippets.) Then, as he hung on the cross he gave his whole life for not only his people, but all people. Surprise, surprise, Jesus is the ultimate example of authenticity and generosity!

I encourage you to pray and look for friends who are vulnerably authentic & outrageously generous. Friends who feel like Jesus by the way they love you. I challenge you to be this type of friend to someone. We are human, finite and can only give so much. But we can all be this for one. For Kevin & Heather, I was their one for a season, and what a blessing that season was. You don’t have to have a large home or a super full fridge; generously give what you have and be as real as possible with those you love.

Become that feeling of Home for someone. It will probably feel awkward, in a foreign sense, at first. You might be a little more tired at the end of the week. But you will lay your head on the pillow feeling fuller because you are living intentionally and purposefully.Bonus: You never know who you will be inspiring to live this way as well. Vulnerably Authentic & Outrageously Generous.

Note to the editor:

Hey Aunt Tina, (yep, the editor is my aunt!) you are not allowed to let our girl edit the following piece of encouragement! Delete the rest of my words if you must, but the postscript alone should be a post. Love you both!

P.S.

Your favorite blogger, Sarah, is also one of these types of people I’ve been yammering on about. I’ve never visited Sarah and not felt vulnerable authenticity. What you see is what you get. Love that. She is also SO good at feeding people…except for the one time she REALLY over-salted the green beans, lol, but I give that one a pass. I know we are living in weird times, but if you are ever blessed enough to spend time in the Martin Household you will feel loved like Jesus. Time moves slowly. Your heart and belly will leave full. If you know you know.

Love you Cuz!