Friends For Sale

Last week, a friend from high school was coming through town, and stopped by for a visit. We hadn't seen each other in over 40 years. It was amazing to me how much older he looked; while I, on the other hand, still look the same as when we graduated in 1971 :-) He shared with me that his lifetime ambition is to be included in a Barney's Bullet. Of course, it was all in jest, but being the accommodating person I am, here you go, Clint!

In some ways, we picked up right where we left off, sharing with each other memories of our distant past (some of which we'd probably prefer to forget), as well as catching up on all that's happened over the past 40 years. It was a great visit. Whether it's a friend you've known all your life, or a new friend you recently met, friendship is one of God's greatest gifts. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, "With a friend you can face the worst." (which, by the way, Clint and I have experienced!)

True friends can be hard to come by. Some time back, The Wall Street Journal ran an article about Mike Correll of Atlanta, who built a thriving business by literally buying friends for people. For those too busy to build friendships, he would hook you up with a BFF for a mere $1200. That speaks volumes regarding the relational bankruptcy of our culture. In our age where the bar of "friendship" has been brought so low that "friends" can literally be bought (in real life, and on Facebook), perhaps we need to slow down just a bit and invest in others' lives. 

We are relational beings, created to live in community with each other. Even the Godhead exists in the "divine dance" of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. People are messy. No, I'm not referring to their housekeeping. Sometimes people are a pain, a lot of hard work. But the blessings are so worth it! A Swedish proverb states this maxim: "Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half sorrow." Deep inside, can't you attest to that truth? 

So, thanks for your visit, Clint. Now your life is complete!