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Sailing the FriendShip

‘When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.’ This is what friends do.

I don’t know what kind of day you had yesterday or the day before or the day before that. I do know that our days come bundled good with bad and sometimes we need a pickax and floodlight to find the sliver of good. This is why in God’s plan he created friends. Proverbs 17:17 says “A friend loves at all times.” A friend is someone who knows all about you and loves you anyway. When you think of your circle of friends, who do you see? There’s a reason why I surround myself with positive people.

I’ve heard that everything we need to know, we learned in kindergarten. In fact, Robert Fulghum wrote a book with a similar title. In it, he shares conventional wisdom like ‘Share everything’ ‘Play fair’ ‘Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody’ and my personal favorite ‘When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.’ This is what friends do.

How was your day yesterday? What are you expecting today? Ecclesiastes 9:1 pretty much spells it out for us. “Then I understood that God has power over everyone, even those of us who are wise and live right. Anything can happen to any of us, and so we never know if life will be good or bad.” We will have days when things just click …  and then we will have days when nothing happens the way we want it to.

Sometimes it’s hard to chisel ourselves out of a really hard place. When we talk about being in our groove but it’s more like being wrenched in a rut, Psalm 143:1 throws us a tow rope: “Listen, Lord, as I pray! You are faithful and honest and will answer my prayer.”

I’ve had days that seemed stuck, like in Ground Hog Day. I was sure I wore God out praying a lot like David’s prayer in Psalm 143:10 “You are my God. Show me what you want me to do, and let your gentle Spirit lead me in the right path.” God is not a magician. I didn’t pray and ‘Presto!’ all the muddy anxieties disappeared. But God has, in those times, sent a friend to come alongside to pray and hold me up when all the crud was pushing deeper into a pit.

Are you going through tough times? Maybe you need to cash in a friend ticket. To have a friend, you have to be a friend. Maybe you hold the friend ticket and it’s your turn to be a friend to someone who is in a pit and can’t find their way out. Is there someone who needs to know you’re there for them?

You know, the Internet is an instant communication tool. Instant gratifications aren’t always bad. This is where the ‘Presto!’ comes in. Email and social media are instant conduits to share precious moments with people you care about. If that doesn’t work for you, try a phone call, text message, or a paper card you actually write on and put in the mail.

A friend loves at all times: Proverbs 17:17

In 1983 Neil Diamond wrote a song that personifies friendship. Every time I hear “Turn on your heart light. Let it shine wherever you go. Let it make a happy glow. For all the world to see.” It makes a warm glow in my heart-light. I don’t want to call it a challenge, but let’s call it a gentle nudge. Is there someone in your circle who needs a friend? Reach out to them. Is it you who needs a little extra help in finding the small sliver of good in every day? Reach out and ask for it.

Turn on your heart-light
Let it shine wherever you go
Let it make a happy glow
For all the world to see

-Neil Diamond

Could you be a true friend? 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Jane Anderson
Jane Andersonhttp://refininggrace.com/
JANE’s professional experience is scattered across industries from financial services and insurance to engineering and manufacturing. Jane sees her background in writing and editing website content as the foundation to her current love of social media. Being an avid reader, meticulous note taker and lifelong learner has fostered her natural pursuit of sharing her world through writing. Reading books and summarizing content started as a hobby and has since grown to be a major part of her vocational experience. Jane says, “Authors pour their heart and soul into writing their book. When I write a review, it’s with intent to celebrate the book and promote the author.” Jane claims to be 'the best follower you'll ever want to meet' and has been repeatedly called servant leader, eternal cheerleader, social media evangelist, and inspirational go-to person. Jane is a contributing author to the inspiring book Chaos to Clarity: Sacred Stories of Transformational Change.

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7 CONVERSATIONS

  1. Jane, going through this life without friends is not pleasant, to say the least. Reaching out to help somebody is the right thing to do. Anway you can help another person who is in need of help as I say is the right thing to. Lending a sympathetic ear, a telephone call, visit, a text message can make an immeasurable difference. Life is short. If we can brighten somebody’s day or make them feels less alone that is what G-d expects from us.

    • We were made for relationship and to help each other. I can’t imagine my life without friends. I am thankful every day for how we take care of each other and hold each other up. Thank you for your comment. And thank you for being my friend.

  2. Jane – God’s gift of friends – such a treasure – so important to our well being. I am reminded that when Jesus sent out His disciples, they went in groups of two – friends going out to share the good news. Thanks for sharing this wonderful piece. 🙏

    • Len, I love that illustration. Jesus followers, friends working together. A friend of mine saw a picture, maybe on Facebook, that said, “As Christians we are just walking each other home.” I am blessed to call you friend.

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