Friends

            When you were younger did you have different categories of friends? Perhaps there were one or two who were safe to introduce to your parents, maybe a few others that could be around once in a while and then there were the dangerous friends. The dangerous ones weren’t really bad; maybe their language was off color or they were school truants. Still, you were sure if your parents met them they’d be less than pleased with your choice of friends. We all want to please our parents, there is something about having their approval that is at the root of many counselors’ careers.
            I did not have a posse of friends as a kid, it’s okay. I don’t want to think about what I have or don’t have, it is more important to consider who I am and how will I conduct myself. Recently, I have been considering what kind of friend I am and the kind of friend I want to be. I’ve decided I want to be the kind of friend the Jesus will proudly introduce to his Dad. Not a truant or a sometimes friend but the one parents approve of having. The kind of friend of which God approves, which he does with those who truly know Jesus, his son.
            A classic, favorite hymn is What a friend we have in Jesus.
                        What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear.
                        What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer.
            Consider those few lines. Do we really believe it is a privilege to pray?  Do we think about prayer in those terms? Jesus introduces us to his Dad so we can converse with the big guy. What if the next time we pray we approach the throne of grace with the deep reverence and respect it deserves. We should be in awe of this act of prayer, it is the opportunity to make our requests known to God, one on one.
            “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only begotten son. That whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

            Jesus is the bridge; he reaches across the wide canyon of sin to pull us to safety within the arms of God. We should all do our best to make him proud to introduce us to his Dad. It gives true meaning to “friends forever”.

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