Friendship

Growing up my mum used to say, “Some friends come, some friends go, some are for a season and some are for a lifetime.”

There are so many quotes about friendships…

“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.”
“The greatest gift of life is friendship.” “Friends are the family you choose.”

And the bible shares many stories and messages of friendship, such as; A sweet friendship refreshes the soul. Or; therefore encourage one another and build one another up.

An old proverb to be found in many languages about friendship is; A friend in need is a friend indeed. This is something that came to mind when hearing from a friend who was going through a really difficult time.

We tend to message and I try to keep her spirits up by sending her little inspiring messages. However life gets busy and a few weeks had passed without me messaging. I then received a message from my friend but this time the message seemed different than usual. There was a difference in tone.

Luckily I spotted it and asked if everything was ok. My friend tried to sound positive but finally ended the message with a plea for help. Life was still extremely busy but I remembered that little quote ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’ and purposely made time in my busy routine to take a drive to her home town and visit her.

I was slightly nervous because I can’t fix my friends probelms. I can’t take them away and I can’t change the circumstances that my friend is in.

When I arrived, we ordered a coffee – many wonderful things happen over a hot cuppa don’t they! I had a stirring in my heart to not only drive to see my friend but to buy the coffee as well. On the way I asked Jesus to have coffee with us and to comfort my friend as there was nothing else I could offer except a listening ear and a loving heart.

I sat and listened, my friend unloaded her difficulty, cried, shared more and cried a bit more… I took my friend’s hand and was honest that I couldn’t take any of it away but along my listening ear, there was one thing I could offer and that was prayer. My friend, who doesn’t have faith in Jesus, opened her heart and received the prayer. There were more tears and finally before I made the drive back home my friend said this;

“Thank you for being there for me, thank you for driving to see me and for the coffee and most of all thank you for taking the time to listen.”

My friend definitely seemed lighter in her soul when I left her and the next day she messaged to say she was so touched because I gave my time to listen. That is all that was needed. Not for my friend to be fixed or the problems to be taken away but the time was the most precious gift

You see the bible says in Luke 6:31, Do to others as you would have them do to you. If I were in need, I would like a friend to visit, treat me to a cuppa, listen and give me time to share.

Have you recently had a message from a friend and not yet replied? Is God stirring your heart to contact them? Or maybe you have a friend who needs quality time with you? Why not reach out to that friend, offer them a listening ear and help them lighten their load.

1 Samuel 18-3 says ‘A good friend is a blessing from God’. Why not let God use you to bless a friend in need.