No church can save you. No building can lift your spirits. No assembly is your friend. When tragedy strikes we come to the knowledge that we are truly alone in the world.
What wisdom can be found in the tales of an individual’s pursuit of friendship beyond the walls of his home? He goes to the church, and it is full of insincere people. They come and go; none will stay to see hear him. They merely perpetuate what pain isolates him in his life.
Is he to be made an object of pity as he generalizes his weakness by divulging to a congregation of strangers. These are not his brothers or sisters, nor friends or neighbors. He does not know them, and they do not wish to know him. They are satisfied with weekly routine, “Good morning”, “How do you do?” Are they really concerned for his well-being when it is much easier to just pass him by with a rhetoric phrase to get on with the rest of their day? Go on and eat, and spend glorious moments with your family and friends. There is absolutely no possibility that the person sitting next to you is suffering loss, instability, insufficiency, or even insecurity.
Is he a victim of self-pity or of life? All people need is a shoulder to cry on; all people seemingly, except for him because he was not fortunate enough to make and grow up with childhood friends, it is surely the only way to enter a person’s exclusive circle before it is formed and fortified. Can love be weighed for value? Are kind favors never purely altruistic, but are done to act as contingencies? It wears the meaning of friendship, and of fellowship.
What is a friend? A friend is someone close to you, a companion, someone to talk to when times are good and also when times are rough. A friend is someone who is genuinely concerned for you and for your happiness. Someone to share thoughts with, and someone to collaborate with. A friend corrects you, but also encourages you. A friend prays with you and for you, but is not bound to prayer alone. A friend calls you to see how you are doing, and is ready to help should a need arise.
A “true friend” is a compliment, not a state of being because no one is perfect, but most of these characteristics can be found in certain people that we regard as close to us. I have not had one of these people in my life, and I probably never will. If God wills it, He will put these people in my life, or, perhaps, He will remain my only friend. In truth, God is our only friend. He remains faithful even when He has every reason to abandon us. He perfectly exemplifies a “true friend”. Why shouldn’t we follow His example?
No comments:
Post a Comment