Musings at Altitude

Over the last few weeks, I’ve had several very good friends drop me a line, give me a call, meet me at Starbucks, etc, and many of them were out of work, looking for work, seeking an ear, needing to talk, asking for prayer, etc.  Regardless of the situation, my heart went out to each and every one of them, and I energized the network, added them to my prayer list, opened my heart and my ears to their issues and their needs, and responded as quickly as possible to hopefully give them an early light in the midst of whatever darkness they may be feeling.

But a quick response is not enough, and I’ve realized that being responsive is not all that being a good friend should be.  In the busy-ness of life today, we prioritize to do something quick, and then we move on, often times letting the heart tugging pulls of the conversations fade to the back as the crisis of the moment in business or life comes to the front.  Hours, days, weeks, months later, we then remember that we had a friend in need who expected and quite frankly deserved more than just an immediate response, and yet we left them needing, wanting, deserving so much more than a quick connection or a timely prayer.

I was reminded this morning in my quiet time approaching God, that we have the ultimate example of leadership and friendship in Christ.  Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

That’s what friends should be…not just responsive at the time of need, but the same and always there and always helping, yesterday, today and forever partner to those who we call friends.  If we can’t be that for them, and be there for them, and be part of them and their lives, is that really friendship, or is that just companions on a journey that comes nowhere close to what friendship should be.

In John 15:15, Jesus says, “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.”

What an awesome definition and example of friendship.

I have not been the friend I’ve needed to be lately to those who’ve approached me and needed me to be the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

I have not been the friend I’ve needed to be lately to those who’ve needed to know or needed to leverage those things that I’ve been blessed to learn or experience in my life.

It’s time to be the friend that those that call me friend need me to be.

I have the perfect example of friend.

I need to learn from that.