Tuesday, January 8, 2008

True Friendship

Job 6:14:
A despairing man should have the devotion of his friends, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty. (NIV)

For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; So that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty. (NASB)

When desperate people give up on God Almighty, their friends, at least, should stick with them. (The Message)

To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend, Even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty. (NKJV)

I had a best friend for many years. Although it was long-distance, we saw each other through many important periods in our lives... dating, break-ups, marriage, college, children, moving, etc. We were very close and very much alike.

A few years ago she had a crisis in her life that I didn't know how to handle. I even thought at the time that she was turning her back on God. I didn't agree with some of her decisions and, instead of loving her and sticking by her, I abandoned her. I let my feelings of being uncomfortable end our friendship. I justified my actions by her actions in the situation.

A couple of years passed and I started to feel uncomfortable for a very different reason. I began to look at my actions in the light of God's love and I was not proud of what I had done. Ironically, my friend contacted me before I even acted on God's nudging to be the one to reach out and contact her. I was able to apologize for what I had done and our friendship was restored. Our friendship is now much stronger than it ever was in the past, she and I each have much stronger relationships with God as we have each grown over the past couple of years, and we are able to encourage each other. We share more now in terms of similarities in our experiences and relationships than we did before. I think that was partly God teaching me humility.

We all have times in our lives when we make poor choices, when life beats us up, even when we feel a little far from God. We can't give up on each other during those times. God has clearly told us that friendship means loving regardless of the situation.

Do you have a friend who could use your love today?