Friends

Vol 2 No 31 THEO'S DEVOS

Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.

I was reading Psalms today and noticed this verse. Now I have read this verse many, many times before but, for some reason, it stuck in my mind this time. I have been pondering the reason all day. It is now late at night and, since I can't sleep, I have turned to Theo's Devos. I find myself using these late hours to write these devos often. The quietness seems to help me think and pray.

Now one of the reasons this verse means something to me is because I have a lot of friends. The only problem for me is that, since I have moved several times, my friends are at a distance now. They are literally spread all over the country and around the world. The result is that it is difficult for me to act on this verse and yet it still means a lot to me.

“A friend loves at all times,,” we are told. That is good to know because it not only assures me that friends will always be there for us but it also helps us know the quality of true friendship. Have you ever had a friend, or thought you did, but it just seemed like everything else was more important to them than your friendship. They were too busy to take time with you. I have found that we all have time to do the things that we want to do so taking time with your friend is something we should look to do. I am not sure what those people are who are 'too busy' for you but true friendship doesn't seem like it is in view here.

Now it could be that they didn't think about it like that. Maybe they thought that the friendship was strong enough to handle not paying much attention to it. The problem is that the Bible says that a friend 'loves' at all times. That is a strong word. Obviously there are lots of levels of love. We love lots of things but not at the same intensity. How much do we 'love' our friends? Do they know that? Have you told them?

I am not a big talker. I do enjoy a good conversation though and, when I get into one, I can talk quite a bit but I enjoy not talking as well. I also love to stay in contact with my friends and I love to hear from them too. I'm sure you know what I mean. Knowing what is going on in your friends lives is important to me and I am sure it is to you too. Maybe friendship just cools off after a while and we focus less on maintaining it when we have been friends for a while. I believe that friendship can be taken for granted and that's not a good thing. We often find it helpful to communicate with our friends when something goes wrong but let them slide when things are going along smoothly.

In any event, it is good to know that we have friends. I have been in contact with a couple of friends who are in China right now. They just went through a scary time but it looks like they will be fine. I can't disclose their names for security purposes (email is not secure in the least) but I was constantly in touch with them through a relative of theirs. They had friends praying for them for the last several days and they have cultivated those friendships via email over the last several years. I have a couple of friends in Europe who email me regularly and it helps us maintain our friendship even though we are so far apart. At least one of them subscribes to Theo's Devos and they often comment on them. I am grateful..

I suppose one of the things that goes through my mind when I read this verse it that I should not take my friends for granted. I need to let them know that they are thought of. It will take my time to do that. It will not be 'convenient' but it is necessary. They have been there for me when I needed them and I should be there for them. I hope that they know that I would.

May God bless you and may He give you even more friends. Take care of them and nurture those friendships. They are much more precious than you may think.

Theoo