Let’s be friends.

Is it just me or do you find it easier to connect with strangers than people you already know, especially if they are online friends. It so easy to chat online than to chat real time with people. How come?

What happened to friendship? I mean, nowadays we have to qualify friendship with term like; real friend, true friend, long term friend, necessary friend, seasonal friend, reasonal friend and beshte. And for those who don’t know, beshte is the kind word we call people who assume we are friends yet we deeply know they are just acquaintances or convenient people in our lives. Friendship should not be qualified. It just needs to be.

Human beings are social people but so are animals. It’s just a natural thing to want other people’s company around us. The challenge nowadays is who do you keep in your circles? It’s is very difficult to have friends nowadays, and that is why we end up qualifying them.

I have never been a good friend. It’s something I have been learning over time. When I was growing up I was very competitive. And I ensured I remain on top no matter what. And if for some reason my friend defeated me in something, I would stop being their friend. And so, I never made a long term friendship. I always envy those people who have developed and kept their childhood friendship into adulthood. I don’t have such. I was never a good friend, I was a selfish friend, and I only made friends to those I could gain something from.

I was reading Luke 5: 17-20. I was amazed by the kind of friendship portrayed. The story is about a paralytic man who when his friends found that it was crowded inside the house where Jesus was, they made a way through the roof just to make sure they get in. If it were me, I would have timed Jesus when he was leaving and avoid the hassle of going up the roof. 

This story demonstrates the quality of a friend that I want to be; that I can have so much faith in Jesus to do anything to bring my friends to him, that I will not have excuses not to do that which will add value to my friends. Look at David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 20, they had a pleasurable friendship that was sworn with each other in the Lord. That’s the kind I am looking for.

Jesus while talking to his disciples John 15: 14-15. You are my friends if you do what I command, I no longer call you servants, because servants do not know his master’s business. Instead, I call you friends, for everything I have learnt from the father I have made known to you.NIV Even Jesus is looking for friends. He wants to work with friends not servants.

We are need a friend or two. And as I ponder on the issue of friendship, I am encouraging myself to be the kind of friend that I am looking for. Although I am still qualifying my friends, I hope one day I will not need to do that.