The Redemptive Life: The Beauty of Life

Beauty comes in all shapes and forms. This friend of mine is one of the most beautiful human beings I know. Courtney shines with a beauty that radiates from the inside out. Look at the smile on her face, this was a smile that truly came each day I saw her at work. She would bring light into a room that needed to have a little extra lighting. Even with how beautiful she is on the outside where the true beauty comes from is her relationship with the Lord. It was a contagious beauty that others wanted. There was something different about Courtney. Her love not only for the Lord but for others was something I saw day in and day out. She inspired me to love others right where they were. Because she loved me right where I was. She had a heart and love for the orphans unlike anyone else I knew. She would travel to Haiti to work with kids who were hurting or suffering of diseases. She didn't care what "plague" they had on them. She showed them love and grace, just as Jesus would. She is a true example of being the hands and feet of Jesus.

Courtney and I became friends just a few short months before our lives would be turned upside down. But the privilege I had to be part of her life day in and day out was beautiful. A little background of our friendship: We met working at a restaurant called Tacos 4 Life. I was in between graduating college and finding a job. We instantly clicked, which is weird to think because if you know me and know Courtney. We are two totally different people. I'm a little rough around the edges and shes a woman of love for everyone. As we worked together we built a friendship that would later change my life. I would share my struggles with food and body image issues. She would look at me and say in the sweetest voice "Whitney, look at yourself, be confident in the beauty God has given you." Now this comment makes me tear up. I didn't see it but she saw it. She saw through the eyes of Christ. Courtney would listen to my hurt and pain and always remind me who "Whitney was in Christ. That Jesus hadn't abandoned me because of my struggles. We had some precious moments in the dish room at Tacos. I would be the one probably cussing and angry because it was 12:30 AM and we were still at work. Y'all she didn't complain and still had to drive back to Romance Arkansas, a 45 minute drive from work. I learned so much from a girl who is 7 years younger than I am. She brought me back to the Lord when I saw no hope to continue on. She didn't look at my struggles or short comings, she saw the good in me and showed me the things that were positive about myself. We need more people in our world like Courtney.

On August 3rd, 2014 our lives were turned upside down. We actually had been to church that morning. It was refreshing to be back in church. She had encouraged me to come with her for a while. So I went this beautiful Sunday. I actually remember church that morning was about surrendering our lives back to the Lord. HUMMM....did God have a plan or what that day? We talked in the foyer for a bit after church, gave each other a hug, and said I will see you tomorrow at work. Tears steam down my face as I recall this day like it was yesterday but it was a year ago. Something so terrible but yet so inspiring happened that day. Courtney and Mrs. Gina were in a wreck not two hours after saying goodbye. Mrs. Gina had passed but Courtney was fighting for her life. The next few weeks at UAMS is a blur. I was at the hospital the next days and weeks. I would go pray and talk to Courtney as she laid there. I told her how her impact had changed my life and many others. That she would walk again and have life again. We spoke truth over Courtney on the darkest days of her life.

Today, one year later Courtney is still recovering. The beauty of her recovery is that she hasn't given up. Today she is relearning how to do thing such as sitting up, walking, and learning to speak clearly. One thing this girl will tell me when I start talking too much is NOO!! Oh goodness how I love her!! I am thankful for her life, her recovery, her continuous love for the Lord. She maybe considered different to society but she isn't. She is still the Courtney I knew a year ago. She is stronger, braver, encouraging than I will ever be in my life.

No matter where you find yourself right now in life, its not over. We don't have to give up. Days I want to give up and throw in the towel I think of my sweet friend Courtney. I remember the fight she has put up to find the recovery she is finding today. We all can learn to fight our own battles with strength and grace that the Lord has given Courtney, he has given US.

Our lives can all be turned upside down in a second and not promised another day. So lets live our lives as its our last. Making the most of every opportunity. I am thankful for the life Courtney is living and the example she gives me day in and day out to live by.