Friends
Two men camping in the forest were enjoying their morning coffee when, all of a sudden, they spotted a very large, hungry grizzly bear running toward them. One of the men quickly pulled on his running shoes. "Do you actually think you can outrun that grizzly bear?" his friend asked.
"I don't need to," he replied. "All I have to do is outrun you."
We all have had friends like that, haven't we? At the first threat of danger, hardship, or difficulty, they desert us.
Let me ask you something. What do the following three things have in common? A diaper, a pair of contacts, and a trash bag? You don't have a clue? They are all disposable. When the contacts get old, pitch them. When the trash bag is full, pitch it. When the diaper is soiled, pitch it. Pitch it! Done with it! History! We live in a society that loves disposable things. You may say to yourself, "I don't want the hassle, I just want to use it, and when I'm done with it, get rid of it." Unfortunately, do you know what has happened in our mindset? Now we live in a society of disposable relationships. If marriage doesn't work, pitch it. Problems in the marriage? Oh, well, forget it, I can find somebody else. Problems in your friendship with somebody? Forget them, I can get a new friend. The mind set is if it doesn't work out, throw the relationship away.
We live in a society of disposable relationships. And that's why so many people have problems keeping a friend. Because when problems come, instead of the relationship getting stronger, they ditch it. Paul was even ditched:
"This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes."
But Paul also had a friend who did not give up on him:
"The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me." -2 Tim. 1:15-17
So what makes for true friendship? It's when we can be the kind of friend God wants us to be....to the people we love and even our enemies.
When I read the Bible, I never see where God ditched a relationship. God has always kept his end of the bargain. It was the people who ditched Him.
It has been said that a true friend is one who walks in when others walk out. Jesus has always been that kind of friend to me. He's always there, even when I mess up! How comforting to know that when I fall short in my actions, attitude and heart, He's there to put back the pieces in my brokenness. He's there in my joys and in my sorrows.
Below is an audio by David Gibbs that I happen to come across on the web. It is well worth the time to sit and listen as he describes the difference between what the world calls a friend and the kind of friend God wants us to be. Somewhere in the message I know your heart will be touched in some way. Maybe there's an Onesiphorus in your life.
