Friends

I've been meaning to write this blog post for a couple of weeks now but I'm just now getting around to it. Anyway, I heard something someone said one day, sort-of in passing, that has the potential to change lives. We had a musician perform at Ebenezers a few weeks ago, Justin McRoberts. Between songs he told some stories. It was in the midst of one of these stories, when he said something that shook me to the core. He said that being a musician he travels a lot and constantly is meeting new friends. Then, almost as a side note he added that he has come to realize that there are no strangers, only friends, some you know well and some you haven't met yet. He said he views everyone as a friend until they prove otherwise, rather that vice versa.

Go ahead...read that again. Now think about it.

If you adopted that mentality how would that change your interactions with others? How would change how you viewed others? Don't we give our friends a pass when they are grumpy and assume there is a reason for their mood? If our friends ask of for something don't we try to give them what they need? Don't we forgive their quirks or neurotic tendencies? Instead of viewing the guy that just cut you off as a jerk, don't we just laugh it off if it's our friend? Don't we confront our friends when they need to be confronted and protect when they need to be protected?

For the last couple of weeks, I've been pondering this concept. I truly think that having this slight shift in mentality could be life altering. Truth is, it's really hard to do, but I'm praying that I can make it second nature. I want to stop seeing strangers and begin to see friends, old and new.

Good for the Soul Friends

This weekend I got to spend time with some friends from college. It was a blast. They are the people in my life that we can literally not contact one another for months but as soon as we do its like we've hung out everyday since the days of Southeastern.

One of the best parts of having friends like that is seeing the evolution that takes place in a person in the years immediately following college. The main reason we decided to get together (besides the fact that it had been far too long) was that our one friend had a baby. A beautiful beautiful baby.

Stuff like that made me reflect on the past and remember the first time she had even ever mentioned this guy, who would become the father of her child. I remember it clearly; we were walking to class and she casually mentioned she had gotten a letter from Bruce. Our other friend and I of course made her back up and explain who this "Bruce" character was, why he was writing her letters and why we had never heard of him before. It's funny to remember that so vividly and then to be sitting in their living room cooing over their new baby.

With both of these dear friends I have watched as their college romances have blossomed into beautiful marriages. I've watched as they have matured and seen subtle changes that have helped them become one with their spouses. As a single girl myself, I am thankful that I have such great examples of marriage in my closest friends. They are inspiring. And as we move to the next phase and I watch as they step into the roles of motherhood, I can only be proud.

These are the kinds of friends that are good for the soul. I wish we could get together every week but we all seem to be drawn to different corners of this country. So for now, I will just cherish the opportunities we get to spend time with one another.

I truly believe that their friendship was a gift from God to me. On the surface the three of us are very different but we seem to relate at a much deeper level than most of my other friendships. I believe the Bible calls it "iron sharpening iron." If you have those friends and you haven't called them in awhile...call them, schedule a visit. And when you get together, laugh and encourage one another. Seriously. Go call them. It will be good for your soul too.