Colonial Quills

"Be courteous to all but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence; true friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to appellation."

GEORGE WASHINGTON, letter, Jan. 15, 1783 

"Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel." Proverbs 27:9

While I write this I am sitting in a hospital waiting room while a dear friend undergoes surgery.  Before they pushed her rolling bed down the hall we spent three and a half hours enjoying each others company. We are notorious for doing silly things like take several turns around a parkade on the same level because we're talking so much we missed the ramp to the next level. When we discovered our mistake we had to pull off to the side to gain control of our 'bursting at the seams' laughter.

My friend and I have laughed and cried together. We've mourned the loss of loved ones and been there for each other when no one else would stand beside us. Only a few people come into your life that you can call, as Anne of Green Gables say, "a bosom friend".

At times in my life, however, I only had the Lord. No truer friend could there be than Him. Wherever you go, He is there. No matter what happens to you, He is ready to stand with you. He's never too busy. Yes, your sin can hinder your relationship with Him, but He is always quick to forgive and forget when you ask Him. What a wonderful friend He is.

While I've been blessed by the true friends my Lord has given me, I have experienced the abundant grace of the Lord. Because of that grace and the love He has shown me, I'm learning day by day how to be a better friend. Through His grace, I can show grace to each person I meet and to those few intimate friends He's given me. To Him be all glory and honor and praise.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." 

John 15:13-14