What type of friend are you?

What type of friend are you?  I was reading….ok, it is a well known fact by now that I read every morning…..I need a new opening line!  Anyway, as I was reading I came across the question of “what type of friend are you?”  I want my answer to be “A friend’s friend.”  What the heck does that mean?, you might be thinking.  Have you ever heard of a “Doctor’s doctor”?  That’s the doctor a doctor wants to go to…..my husband makes it a point to inquire about that for any professional service he might need.  In Charlotte, our Charlotte magazine comes out once a year with the Who’s who in the different areas (Doctors, Dentists) and then there are the BOB awards….BOB is best of the best!  So to get back to my point, my desire is to be a friend’s friend.

We have all been hurt, whether it was intentional or not and the burden of that hurt can leave lasting scars that are difficult to endure alone.  Sometimes the hurt is a byproduct of malice (oh to be a teenage girl and endure THAT!) and other times it might be through blatant disregard and then sometimes the hurt might be because of a loving confrontation.  Real friends are the ones that stick by you in times of trouble.  They are the ones that bring acceptance, understanding and healing and yes, sometimes that occurs in the midst of correction.  So, what type of friend are you?

God wants to be in a relationship with each of us.  He desires the last depiction I offered of friendship.  All of my life, with the exception of the last 6 years or so, I viewed God as a distant, unapproachable, demanding power.  Somewhere in the middle of a drama/trauma I felt Him draw me close and whisper to me that “things” would be ok, I just needed to trust Him.  At my weakest, I said yes and while the trauma didn’t have the outcome I desired, I learned that my expectations limited me and by releasing them to Him, I surpassed them all!  That experience changed my view of friendship.

Instead of have tos and shoulds, I experience want tos and can’t waits and I long to share those types of moments with those I love.  Sometimes I get impatient in wanting to share, and that is because I realize the magnitude of the gift, but I have to learn that not everyone is always ready to receive it.  There’s a depth assigned to this type of connection and it is one that is constantly developing.  I equate it to being like a fine wine that has been allowed to age and the Vineyard Owner invites you over to sample it.  I know very little about wine tasting, but am looking forward to learning more and wishing to learn to appreciate and savor each wine’s uniqueness.

My circle of friends might be small, but I consider each person to be of a rare vintage and I appreciate the value of each and take pleasure in the time shared.  In the core of each of those relationships is the One Who planted the seeds, tended the fields through various storms of adversity and finally harvested each of them into the unique and extraordinary gifts they are to me.  I am doubly blessed to also be able to include my family in my circle of friends!

These three thoughts are constantly running through my mind –

 Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times

Proverbs 24:26 An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips (meaning true friends don’t bend the truth)

And finally, “A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere, before I may speak aloud” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Looking up!~ Barb