Please stay patient with my
personal experiences. They are just examples I know I can trust. This work is
still about honesty as I am trying to be just that.
Sometime
after the passing of my Dad, my mother passed as well. Mother had been more in
touch with me over the years, so we had said most everything to each other. The
only drama with her was I had to give the main speech at her funeral and that
came out as naturally as speaking for a friend. After their deaths, the Holy
Spirit seemed to say,” Trust me. I’m the
friend that never goes away or dies no matter what.”
Well,
many times before, you may have heard that Jesus was your friend but you still
felt there was a part of Him from God the Father that might be out to get you
because of your shortcomings; you are not sure. Of course, you may have believed
Jesus was God and he died for you, although you didn’t understand [still don’t]
why he would, but the dying sacrifice is much higher in definition than your
feeling any earthbound friendship. So now, the Holy Spirit says to make Him
friend. The process often starts after you experience any gut-wrenching pain of
loss.
The
closest earth friend I ever had was killed by a negligent auto driver. I spent
days lambasting God, sending him “why” thunder bolts, almost drowning in my
misery. Why did He let this happen? Why did He let the one person I let into my
very soul, die? Especially why when there were so many others around not worthy
to live. For a long time, I got no answer. He seemed to answer with silence.
You see, asking God why is asking Him to explain the whole universe system. Our
minds are too small. Only the eternity of heaven will allow such explanation.
Then one day, I quit asking why and started asking, “What am I to do now? Who am I to be?”
Suddenly, it was as if God spoke one word: Friend. My initial response was,
“Yes, I know I just lost a friend, So?” Several times, He just impressed upon
me, “Friend.”
Slowly some light began to seep through my warped perception.
God was not answering me about my next earthly friendship as to what I was
going to do. He was trying to get me to see He was my true friend already.
When I realized this, my
whole self, made an about face, turned around, as dramatic as when you switch
sides in bed. You turn, reposition, usually wake up some and settle into a new
place. The truth of His being my friend changed my overall viewpoint. Looking
at life experiences through the eyes of knowing you have an eternal friend, no
matter what, releases the acceptance quality to full measure. No longer was I
cared for because I earned something or with a temporary love you could lose by
death, but I knew I had an eternal, live friend and was totally accepted just
for being me. You see, a real friend is forever.
In your present situation, it may not matter as much what you
are doing but try to filter it through the idea that Jesus is your best friend
and he joins you in any endeavor. Whether working on some project for the
house, figuring finances, going to church, writing, doing something for friends
or family, ask your friend to hang out with you just because you like him. By
doing this, your whole prayer life can change. You can still do traditional
kinds of praying, but now you can do a lot more conversational talk with your
friend. And believe it or not, He does talk back in many ways. [more]
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