My True friends!

Recently I have been wondering and pondering about friendship. That is a strange word and it eludes many people. Some people throw out the term “he/she is my best friend” like throwing out the garbage. A friend is great, but best friend is something that takes time to cultivate. Jonathan and David were friends according to the Bible. In fact they were more than friends. According to Joe O’Day, who is the author of the book “The Art of Friendship” wrote that “our preoccupation is usually with having friends. The Bible’s focus is on being a friend.” In this same book O’Day writes that Jonathan was closer to David than a brother. This was the same commitment that a man would have with his wife. The bottom line is that when a person has a true friend; well, words cannot describe that. This is not a friendship that should be looked at as in a sexual way between a man and wife, but in a way that is a bond between the two friends, who desire to partake of the joy of knowing each other. Read about the friendship in I Samuel 19 and part of Chapter 20.

I met this “friend” three years ago in March of 2010. I first saw him standing on a ladder working on the foyer of a house. I instantly took a liking to him. I don’t know why. He didn't like to fish and hunt like me. He was good at mechanics and I definitely wasn't  He was good at all sorts of “jack of all trades” type stuff, and I can assure you I wasn't capable of doing any of that. So, why was I drawn this man? I believe it was just the Word of God. I think we were meant to be Jonathan and David’s. It just felt right.

I was only blessed to be in his presence for seven short months. We moved away and we haven’t seen each other since then. Barring a miracle from the Lord, we will probably not see each other again until we meet in Heaven. He has his life, family, work, etc. and I as well. No complaints with that for we both have our obligations. But it is so sad that this friendship is separated by miles. My wife and I use to basically live in their yard or their car or their house. They were the same toward us. In other words, we spent many days during the week riding around the countryside together or eating together or worshiping together. We painted a garage together to help a church member out. We helped clean out a church member’s apartment together. We peeled a busload of potatoes together for a gathering. We enjoyed the fellowship together like friends are supposed to enjoy. We traveled together and now that the snow is about a foot deep in his hometown, it reminded me of our first road trip together. Someone was in the hospital about an hour or so away. It was snow on the ground, and well, I have never driven that much in snow. So, he drove. We visited the person and then went to a Hamburger place to eat lunch. What I saw next made me think that this man must be someone I needed to know. His windshield needed to be cleaned and he picked up a handful of snow and cleaned his windshield on the outside. I laughed so hard, I hurt my side. (You just had to be there).

To all of you, who read this; let me stress the importance of friendship. I miss my friends that live so many miles away from us. Never lose that friendship or never allow anyone to come between you and them regardless of what happens. People make mistakes and the Lord knows that I have made my fair share of them. These two people were our friends. You can’t buy that over the counter. Through that being said, one day, we will visit again, and that will be nice, but it will be just that, a visit. One day if the Lord will not let us to live near each other again, then in Heaven, we can spend time together. To my dear friends who Debra and I cherish with all of our heart, we do miss you guys. Stay true to the call and never allow the enemy to destroy what God is doing in your lives. Debra and I love you    R** and C***y.