I am just coming off a wonderful week.  I have the joy of having my life-long friend Marlis, visit me and we had a delightful time.  She is one of those friends who I may not talk to for four months and we pick up just where we left off, like we have been together every day.  I have no sisters but she has been with me as long as I can remember and she is the closest thing to a sister I have ever had.  We have shared many laughs, many tears, shored up each other in sad times and celebrated our joys in happy times so many times I can’t even begin to count them. 

 She is also a “faith friend” as we grew up in the same faith as Lutherans. We shared Sunday school, vacation Bible school, confirmation, Luther League, church choir, a youth gospel group and just our everyday living as Christians in our daily lives which has continued into our adults lives as well.

Friendships have always been a very important treasure in my life just like I am sure is the case with most of you.  They are such a blessing and they carry us through the brightest and darkest times in our lives. The Message translation of Proverbs 18:24 tells us “Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family.”  That is the true measure of a friend.

As I think of friendships, I am reminded of the hymn What a Friend We Have in Jesus. The beautiful hymn written by Charles C. Converse in 1868 reminds us many times that we should “take it to the Lord in prayer” and the “it” is every trial, temptation, trouble, worry, discouraging thoughts, sorrows, grief and problem we are facing.  He will bear our burdens and is our refuge and we should never forget that.  We should take “it” to the Lord in prayer.

 Everything that Jesus offers us is a perfect example of a true friend.  He offers us unconditional love; He is with us in the brightest and darkest times of our life (and every ordinary day too) and of course His greatest gift to us is the promise of salvation He gave us with His sacrifice on the cross all those many years ago.  There could be no greater gift a friend could give us than the gift of eternal life.  The rest is up to us.

In the January 2020 issue of Living Lutheran the author quoted a friend’s words: “Faithful, lifelong friends…a very rare treasure, indeed!” 

I am doubly blessed with my lifelong childhood friend Marlis and of course most importantly, my best friend, Jesus!

Patty