love your friends

At the end of dinner tonight, Abi (8 years old) announced something very profound.
"You should love your friends like family and love your family like your friends."
What?!
"Abi, who told you that?"
"No one.  I just made it up."
"That's very profound, Abi.  I'm going to have to think about it for a while."
"You know mommy will blog about that statement tonight, right Abi?" 
So here I am.  Thinking about such a simple, yet profound, statement.
Maybe she heard it at school, I don't know.
Maybe God was speaking to our family through this precious sweetheart.
Maybe God was trying to get my attention.
I think I'm pretty good at loving my friends.
They are the family I've chosen.
I can overlook their faults.
It's easy to love them...because I'm not living WITH them.
But, have I figured out how to love my family like my friends?
So many times, I love my friends and favor them over my family.
I would much rather have a girls night out (because I deserve it.  I've earned it!).
How many times do I spend hours on fb or reading all these wonderful blogs instead of reading to my kids?
Ouch!
Don't get me wrong.  I love my kids and my extended family.
But do I lay down my life for them like I do for my friends?
Out of the mouths of babes...