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Are You a Good Friend?
We live in a society where friends come and go with the click of a button; which begs the question, ‘was that person truly a friend’? Are you a good friend? What makes you even think that you can say that?
I recently listened to a sermon where the pastor posed the question: ‘what makes up a good friend’ and it captured me because it’s something that I find myself really not thinking about much lately; if at all in any recent years. Sure there has been talk about not hearing from friends, needing to make new friends, how old friends are; but not much on how I am doing in that department. Maybe it’s time for a tune-up in that are. How about you?
The sermon continued on about the difference between being a servant and a friend which was definitely touchy for many because all so often it’s said that people on their judgment day want to be hear, ”Well done, good and faithful servant….’ which is fantastic; except leaving a little less than the title of friend. (or a lot) The pastor continued on to read, ‘I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.’
Being a servant is so one-dimensional in reality; or works based because it’s just acting instead of serving. When you look at the people in your life ask yourself: ‘Am I really being a friend?’ Do you know what is going on in their lives? Are you what you want to be in their lives? Are they what you want them to be in your life?
Being a friend is much more than we realize and not seeing it is such a shame. It’s only when we get away from the ‘click-it’ mentality will we be able to see our friends as friends and not just numbers on a wall. It’s when we look at them as the wonderful people that they are that we will be able to do more for them; to get out and serve- to make their lives better.
What can you start doing today for your friends? Start with your spouse as isn’t your spouse your best friend? Are you the friend to him or her that you should be? If you don’t have a spouse- find someone else! It doesn’t take much to get out and go be the friend that you want others to be for you.
What are you going to do? Share your ideas and let’s all be better friends for the sake of being a friend.
I recently listened to a pastor talk about happiness and he said something that was contrary to what I had been led to believe for most of my saved life. He said that he too had been taught that ‘happiness is just what’s happening now’ and that we should ‘seek joy’ instead. Once the thing that makes us happy is gone then it’s gone. He bought that teaching like many. This was until he started diving in to what the word actually means.
His research revealed that the word ‘blessed’ actually means ‘hugely happy’ and that the word ‘blessed’ occurs 48 times in the NT. People who are hugely happy typically are blessed while those who are blessed are hugely happy right? It would seem apparent that they walk hand in hand.
So the question is: what makes you happy? What makes you ‘hugely’ happy? How are you blessed? If you look around my guess is that you can always find something to be happy about; regardless of your situation. If you don’t believe me; drive down to your local inner city and count how many homeless people there are and then look inside the car you drove to get there. If you have old McDonald’s bags tossed in the back; be happy that you had enough money to even get the food in the first place!
If you are single are there things to be happy about? Married; what about your spouse brings happiness to your life? If you sit in traffic what can you see and do on your way to where ever you are going besides complain?
I have to be honest and catch myself today because I could easily fall into the trap of unhappiness. I can look at all the things I don’t have like the husband that I don’t have; the children I haven’t given life to; the father I have yet to find and meet- and I could go on and on. I’m sure you could too. Instead; my choice today is to be happy that I am alive, that I am healthy, that I have hair and that every time I walk into my living room I am surrounded by my favorite Joe Malone candle that I can actually smell. How about you?