A Real FriEND Loves to the END

When reading Luke chapter 1, we learn that Mary and Elizabeth are relatives. They both have become pregnant by the Grace of God and Elizabeth is about 6 months further along than Mary. When Mary is told of Elizabeth's pregnancy she quickly goes into the hill country to visit Elizabeth and stays with her for about 3 months. After reading this, I let it sink in for a moment. The scripture leads me to believe that Mary was in her 1st trimester when she made the trek into the hills to see Elizabeth. Ok, Mary did not simply book her online ticket through Southwest, catch a cab to the airport and then have a friend pick her up upon arrival. I imagine she walked into those hills, probably very tired at times, with crazy food cravings and maybe even fighting morning sickness. Who knows what she wore and how much she packed! All so that she could be with her friend. Yes, I think they were friends. Scripture tells us that Mary and Elizabeth were relatives, but in my opinion, they had to have had a friendship within their blood linked relations. I mean seriously, would you walk from one town to another up hill while you were pregnant to see someone that was just a relative? On top of that, to stay with another pregnant woman for the last 3 months of her pregnancy while you are pregnant yourself, is dedication and love. They must have had a very close, genuine, friendship and relationship. This got me thinking about the women in my life. If I want to be a better friend, cousin, daughter- you fill in the blank, Mary sets a pretty high standard of selflessness. I suppose that is why she was chosen to birth Jesus. To be honest, some days it seems too difficult to send a text much less a phone call to a sweet lady in my life. Some days I have got it quite backwards. Too often I let life get busy and relationships lie wasting when they should be freshly loved upon and given to. Does this ring a bell with anyone or am I alone in this? If it sounds familiar, let's go the extra mile today (and maybe a little uphill) to let that person know you love them and God does too. More times than not, words do not even need to be spoken, just the action of selfless Love itself.