My Best Friend
by Catherine Fata
As a Starbucks addict, I’m rarely without some sort of caffeinated beverage to help me get through the day. I go through phases: First, I was into frappuccinos, then I became a drip coffee devotee, followed by an Americano aficionado, and now I’m a latte junkie. What really gets me through the day? Now I know, without a doubt, that the answer is God.
My inability to choose a drink is not because I’m indecisive. My needs just change. Likewise, God changes with me as I grow and mature, learn new things, and make new mistakes. The God that I feared as a child, revered as a Catholic schoolgirl, and admittedly ignored during my “cool days” in high school changed with me, nudging me forward even without my knowledge.
The deepest piece of wisdom I’ve ever received was not from a distinguished NYU professor. It was from a beautiful mother leading my senior retreat. In her introduction she said, “Hello, I’m Lee, and God and I are best friends.”
I had never heard it phrased that way, but it stuck with me. I do remember thinking at points before then, “Well what if I could just have a conversation with God?” This simple phrase provided me with the realization that God is my ally. He knows me better than anyone and cares for me more than anyone else ever can. This friendship works because I have faith that God knows what I need and He can provide it. He has aptly demonstrated this power any time that I have felt frustrated, alone, angry or stuck. I have found this to be the key not only to sustaining a relationship with Him, but maintaining my sanity in a world that sometimes seems determined to sap it up. My ally adapts to my needs as I grow and experience new things. My God is different for me now than He was a year ago. Sometimes He’s quiet, sometimes a little more forceful. But He’s always there.
God and I are best friends. When I was going through some of the hardest times of my life, remembering that God and I are on a team got me through the tunnel of darkness and into the light. I feel a kind of indominatable strength when I tell myself that.
I thought I had to be perfect in order to be best friends with God. However, I don’t have to be perfect—just willing. I have to be willing to take the nudge forward and work on changing some of the barriers against our friendship.
Today, God and I are out the door. Armed with a cup of coffee, of course.
