As I was driving to work this morning, I heard a letter being read over the radio. It was written from a long lost friend to an individual who was just diagnosed with terminal cancer. The letter went on to say how she was so sorry that her friend from long ago has to go through this, and that she wishes that she could be there to hug and walk her through it. Unfortunately, distance now seperated them, and it was not feasible to fly home.
We all have stories like this. I have friends from High School that I rarely see anymore. Still more from college that are scattered all over this globe. Even in my adult life, I have made and lost friends as well. The question that I can't help raise is quite simple: "Were these friendships an illusion or a Disappearing Act?" I do think that "Life Happens" and we go through different phases of our lives. I also believe that there are those out there that are so selfish that they will use you for friendship when they need it. Hearing this letter read over the radio, made me take pause and wonder if I have dropped or walked-away from any friendships in my life. Have I been so selfish that I pushed people away when I was done with them?
You see it is easy for us to sit back and attempt to keep score of how many times we are rejected in our own lives. We like to keep a running tally of shortcomings of others that were committed against us. The truth is, we are just as guilty! I have been hurt along the way. I felt like I was a "Divorce Buddy" for many men that were going through Divorce and their lives falling apart. All of a sudden when it looks like there might be hope at the end of the tunnel, they don't need you any longer. They don't return your phone calls and go on to make "New" friends with individuals that don't know anything about where they came from, or the trash that I just helped them overcome through God's Grace. Point being, true friendship is not expendable. You can not just throw it away and start afresh. You will not build up any depth in your life if you are always staying surface level. I do believe that we go through certain "Season" of our life, but this should never be mistaken as abandoning the past. I have also had to be reminded that sometimes there is ministry, and still at other times there is both friendship and ministry.
I praise God that Jesus sticks closer than a brother. My brother Michael has always been there for me. He would do anything for me, and would lay down his life for me. That is exactly what Christ did for us. When we can take in the sacrifice that Christ portrayed on the cross for us, then we can start to grasp that relationship of being in it for the long haul. I understand that people move away, and that people get hurt. I also understand that friendships are worth fighting for. Question your life as to whether it was an illusion to begin with, or it just flat out disappeared...
We all have stories like this. I have friends from High School that I rarely see anymore. Still more from college that are scattered all over this globe. Even in my adult life, I have made and lost friends as well. The question that I can't help raise is quite simple: "Were these friendships an illusion or a Disappearing Act?" I do think that "Life Happens" and we go through different phases of our lives. I also believe that there are those out there that are so selfish that they will use you for friendship when they need it. Hearing this letter read over the radio, made me take pause and wonder if I have dropped or walked-away from any friendships in my life. Have I been so selfish that I pushed people away when I was done with them?
You see it is easy for us to sit back and attempt to keep score of how many times we are rejected in our own lives. We like to keep a running tally of shortcomings of others that were committed against us. The truth is, we are just as guilty! I have been hurt along the way. I felt like I was a "Divorce Buddy" for many men that were going through Divorce and their lives falling apart. All of a sudden when it looks like there might be hope at the end of the tunnel, they don't need you any longer. They don't return your phone calls and go on to make "New" friends with individuals that don't know anything about where they came from, or the trash that I just helped them overcome through God's Grace. Point being, true friendship is not expendable. You can not just throw it away and start afresh. You will not build up any depth in your life if you are always staying surface level. I do believe that we go through certain "Season" of our life, but this should never be mistaken as abandoning the past. I have also had to be reminded that sometimes there is ministry, and still at other times there is both friendship and ministry.
I praise God that Jesus sticks closer than a brother. My brother Michael has always been there for me. He would do anything for me, and would lay down his life for me. That is exactly what Christ did for us. When we can take in the sacrifice that Christ portrayed on the cross for us, then we can start to grasp that relationship of being in it for the long haul. I understand that people move away, and that people get hurt. I also understand that friendships are worth fighting for. Question your life as to whether it was an illusion to begin with, or it just flat out disappeared...
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