Friendship

In the past few days while I have been "chauffeuring" the kids here and there in our last lovely Wisconsin April snowfall/hailstorm {I already know what you Wisconsinites are thinking!}, I was listening to one of my favorite radio stations called k-love.

I love this station because they only play positive and encouraging music.
And I definitely need to fill my mind and heart up with that, especially while I'm driving~

I, particularly, love listening to the conversations the DJ's get into with each other, and of course, the people 'out there' who are listening.
Many times they encourage and challenge me to really think about something in a whole different way. 

They were naturally discussing Jesus and Easter because we are in what Christians call Holy Week.
The radio DJ's were discussing just what Jesus all endured
in just one week's time!

Of course, we all know about His Death & Crucifixion & Resurrection, but what they got me thinking about on a much deeper level was this idea of Friendship.

Naturally, my mind and heart did go to that place of what Jesus must have really truly felt when his closest, dearest friends betrayed Him in the worse possible way...at the worst possible time.

I've been there, too, and I highly doubt that I'm alone in that.

Ouch!

The first betrayal involved the “worst” of the disciples as some might say: Judas, who betrayed Jesus with a "kiss" for thirty pieces of silver for his execution. The second involves Peter, who would deny his connection to Jesus 3 different times out of shame or embarrassment or fear
{who knows right?}

I guess I don't blame them. I would like to think I would've been the bold, brave one to stand up for Jesus, and do the right thing.
Yet, I am now all too familiar with my own shortcomings and weaknesses; areas I need to grow in.

I will admit that I, unfortunately, may have done the exact same thing as them...in those circumstances...at that time in history.

Yet, He was Jesus, God's Son, and therefore, Perfect and showed us how to do it the 'right' way.
Yet He did it so well! I think, and It is so hard to do!

First off, I know Jesus probably did what I would've done, and I have many times when I have felt that all too familiar "sting" of judgment, betrayal, or rejection... and that is to just simply cry.

I imagine it to be like one of those gut-wrenching cries that we would never let anyone see.

Yep! Been there, done that. One too many times.
And it is a tough place to be in.

I realized that I, unfortunately, have gotten stuck in that place; that hasn't served me or others well at all. 

I can so easily imagine and go to "what Jesus must have felt like" when I read what His friends did to Him, but when I look at it from a different vantage point, that being... not my own...

I think, How many times has it been me doing the wounding? {gulp!}

 Yes...I remember how many times it has been I, Lori, who did the 'stinging'...with my words, or the tone of my voice, or just simply my body language.

But what Jesus did so easily and so freely and so Amazingly Well was to simply Forgive.
And He didn't even need to ask Why? a thousand times, like I've always felt the need to.

Jesus just kept on forgiving over and over...as many times as it took... 

In fact, He says we should forgive 70 X 7 times, which if my math skills are serving me correctly, then that means 490 times! Yikes! That's a lot of times.

Now that is hard to do, especially when the wound cuts very, very deep...
and especially when it is from the same person.

With that being said, Jesus never promoted being a "doormat", either. He taught about Balance.

I've had to learn the hard way about this ... there is always a balance to everything.

And what simply Amazes me again - is that when Jesus came out of the grave, when He rose again, He told Mary to go tell His disciples and Peter! Yes...Peter - His friend who denied even knowing Him.

Now that is Forgiveness.
Now that is Love.
Now that is Friendship.

And I think Peter could simply not resist the pull of  Jesus' Love - it was just too hard  to resist! :)

Anyway, when I think back over my Life - to all of my Friends that have come and gone...some already in Heaven... many have stayed awhile... and have taught me lessons that I never would've learned otherwise...
Some I've had to let go for one reason or another; I will always treasure the memories.

Then my heart returns to the present moment, the Here and Now, and I think of all of the people in my Life currently who I like to call Friend...

Or I call them my kindred spirits...or my "team"...my Best Friends...
{male and female alike...young and old...wearing skin or fur...blood relatives and not...'blasts' from the past...wearing white lab coats or not}

And I realize that just like Jesus, they have loved and accepted me for "me"...unconditionally, without judgment. They have extended mercy and grace to me when I didn't deserve it.

They were silent, even when they sensed I may be walking straight into a mistake, yet knew "me" and my heart's intent well enough to know that it was my mistake to make... and my mistake to learn from ... and then my mistake to hopefully grow from.

They forgave me for the times I hurt or disappointed them because they loved me so much.

It is as simple as that.

And I like to call that Friendship.

The real kind. The kind that you can trust wholeheartedly in. The kind where it is safe to share your heart.

The kind that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world.

I like to think of them all as "gifts" - straight from God Himself from Heaven above straight to me, Lori...
my Friends...

I would like to end this post with this note to my Friends...
{I hope you know who you are!}

Thank you...

Thank you for showing me what true Friendship looks like, and for showing me how to do the job of Friend well.
The kind of friend that I want to be and
the kind of friend I continue to strive to be.

P.S. If you've never tuned into the television show that airs on Lifetime (or you can get past seasons at the library) called Army Wives...then you are truly missing a "gem" of a show about Friendship, plus much, much more!
And yes...I'm talkin' about the real kind!