Friends Devotional

What We Can Learn From Friends

This devotional examines the value of having good and true friends. 

THOUGHT:  

Recently, I had an experience that reinforced my belief in the true meaning of friendship. Not acquaintance friendship, nor co-worker friendship, nor casual friendship – but the true, loyal friends that show up when you need them the most.

I was having a truly horrific week. You know the kind I am talking about, correct? Not sleeping well, problems at home, conflict at work, etc. We have all had them, am I right? The kind of days or weeks that we would love to forget but cannot.

When this occurs, instead of reaching out to friends, I tend to go within myself. Blame myself, feel sorry for myself, and ensure that I have not said anything to anyone about my true feelings. I expect them to be mind-readers and “know” what I am feeling and to also have the magic answers to fix everything.

In the scripture above though, it does not say a friend is perfect, omniscient, or omnipotent or anything close to a superhero with an accentuated sense of vision or hearing. A loyal friend may possess these abilities, true. Yet, the best part of the “friend” is that even if they are not the superhero who always knows what you are feeling or thinking, they still LOVE. Note the scripture. No adjectives before the word “friend.”  The emphasis is instead on the middle of the sentence with a VERB – loves. The emphasis is on what the friend “DOES” – his/her actions. That’s what happened to me. Someone, a “friend,” showed up totally unexpectedly with lunch and a blanket. They mentioned that they noticed I wasn’t my usual self and they brought me gifts that would demonstrate the verb “love” with warmth and generosity. They were not a superhero. Yet, they noticed something was awry and simply loved me.

If you watched any TV at all in the 1990’s or early 2000’s, you likely were hooked on an inconspicuous (smile) show aptly called “FRIENDS”. I know I was glued to each and every episode and even ashamedly have seen every re-run for the past 20 years, over and over again. You will remember that the title said it all. Below are some of the lyrics of the theme song from FRIENDS:

No one could ever know me, no one could ever see me.
Seems like you’re the only one who knows what it’s like to be me.
Someone to face the day with, make it through all the rest with,
Someone I’ll always laugh with, even at my worst, I’m best with you.

It’s like you’re always stuck in second gear,
When it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month, or even your year.

But, I’ll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour.
I’ll be there for you, like I’ve been there before.
I’ll be there for you, cause you’re there for me too.

WOW! Admit it! You were singing along, weren’t you? Certainly not a biblically based television show, but the words seem to say it all.

Let us think about the stories of “friends” in the Bible:

David and Jonathan

Elijah and Elisha

Naomi and Ruth

Daniels and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

Jesus and Mary, Martha, and Lazarus

The list goes on and on………..

None of these friends were mind readers or superheroes or certainly not the perfect friend. What they did possess though was the ability to love. They noticed a need in their friend, and in their own way…..loved them. Whatever was needed. Courage, loyalty, or steadfastness – all part of the word we call “love.” 

We are told that Jesus is our Friend. It is true that we can always go directly to Him with our problems. Yet, I suspect, that Jesus knew that sometimes we need our earthly friends. We need to have tangible touch and accepting listening skills and as they say, “God with skin.”  Jesus knew what it was to have earthly friends. He openly wept when Lazarus died. He knows we need them too. I thank God for Christian friends. What would we do without them?

PRAYER: 

Thank You Jesus for Your Example of Friendship. Thank You for teaching us about the action of love for our brothers and sisters, our friends. Thank You for being the Ultimate Friend, the One we can always reach out to in times of trouble. Make us profoundly grateful for our earthly friends that notice us, that help us, and that love us. AMEN.