I’ve got friends in …
Ok, finish the line in your head, I am no singer, but I will belt this out in the privacy of my car like I am a rock star! Is it good to have friends in low places? I think it is good to have friends all over the place.
I started thinking about friends after Priscilla Shepherd posted her status this week (thanks for the inspiration!)
“A friend stated last night "It's funny how people try on friendships like shoes, if they fit a little to tight or a little loose they throw them to the side and forget about them." I thought that was cool. So let's try not to forget who our FRIENDS are”
There are so many varieties of friends, just like shoes. Does this mean that what fits for one occasion may not fit for another?
· BFF (Best Friend Forever, for those of you without little girls running about your lives) "An good friend will help you move. A best friend will help you move a dead body."
· Friends for Bad Times: A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.
· Friends in spite of our faults: "A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked."
· Friends in Good times: “For it's always fair weather - When good fellows get together- With a stein on the table and a good song ringing clear”
· Some of us marry our best friend: Marriage is a sort of friendship recognized by the police."
· Fair weather Friends: “FRIENDSHIP, n. A ship big enough to carry two in fair weather, but only one in foul.
I am not an expert on friendship. I have heard that to have a friend you have to be a friend, and I am not a very good friend. I lose touch with people that are important to me. I don’t call my friends and say, I am thinking of you today. I totally forget birthdays, special days etc. (I do Facebook though, sometimes) I don’t do social events with others, pretty much at all, unless it is related to Piper. Bottom Line: I am a bad friend.
It is strange because I really like getting to know people. But, it is really hard for me to go further into friendship than that. Friendship isn’t easy.
· "Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow-ripening fruit." -- Aristotle (4th century B.C.)
Relationships, friendships, to me, are like little seeds. They need to be planted in a good foundation, and nurtured. The care doesn’t end there, though. There will be weeds. There will be blights, droughts and floods that will affect the growth and vitality of the plant. The care to be provided is an investment. And with any investment, there is a risk.
I can imagine that the circumstances for friendships starting, ending and pausing are endless. Distractions. Hard times. New opportunities. Why do you think your friendships wax and wane? Is it because I am work boots and you need strappy sandals? I am willing to bet that most friendships just fade out because of neglect (a lot like my August garden) and not so much rejection.
Of course, I think we might imagine the worst case scenario, rejection. If a friend doesn’t invite you to something what do you conclude? That you did something offensive? That you aren’t (fill in the blank) enough? If you invite a friend to something and they don’t come, what do you conclude? The very same things? Drawing (or jumping to) conclusions ends a lot of relationships.
This happens at church, too. If someone stops coming to church, we assume they have rejected us. That they didn’t like something the church has done. That they found a better church. Or maybe, our church is a sneaker and they prefer wing tips…
So how does this change? We can’t all be all purpose crocs! We embrace the individual shoe for what they are and enjoy them. How do we keep our friendships alive? There is no Miracle Grow for friendships! We go work in the garden, with some hands on nurturing. We search out the seeds we planted, and give them some attention.
As Priscilla recommended, let’s try not to forget who our friends are…Tonight we are going to go into the garden and search out friends from Shepherd of the Hills. We are going to give them our attention. We are going to nurture them. We are going to let them know, no matter the current condition of our relationship, that we love them and we want to see them in full bloom.
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. John 13:34-35
Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Romans 12:10
And may the Lord make your love grow and overflow to each other and to everyone else, just as our love overflows toward you. 1 Thessalonians 3:12
If you are ready to Love, Relate and Encourage others with Christ’s love, come out to the Ranch at 6:30 pm to join us, we would love to see you. No Experience Required.
Jamie
PS. Some of us will be flip flops, others may be sneakers.
Jamie
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