What I Am Thankful For—Part 2

Yesterday, I talked to you about how thankful I was to live in a great country like the USA. That was #4 on my list of things I am truly thankful for. Today, I would like to talk to you about…

#3—Friends

I have been truly blessed with the friends that I have. Some of them I am related to, others I am not. I don’t have many friends (or what I would call “close friends”), so I tend to be thankful for the ones that I have. And I’m not talking about Facebook “friends” who may or may not care what is going on in my life.

I’m talking about real, honest-to-goodness friends. I think it’s true that friendship is sometimes a fleeting thing. You have friends who you are close to for a while, but then as you go through life you grow apart, either by distance or circumstances. I believe that Godo brings friends into your life at certain times of your life to teach you things that you need in your life.

I think of my two best friends in Jr. High School, Kevin and Jeff who I did most everything with. We hung out, went to movies, talked, played games, went to school and just about everything else together. They were in my wedding and I was in theirs. But as they lived in Pennsylvania and I lived in Michigan, we didn’t see each other much after High School. So we grew apart, and while I still consider them my friends, and would be there for them if they needed me, I don’t feel we are as close as we were.

Then there are the friends I made in College, like Dave, Keith, Matt Scott and Shannon. These friends (roommates, teammates and classmates) were close when I was at Moody, but many of them I haven’t talked to in a long, long time.

There are friends that I had in Michigan, like Dave, Chris, Don, Chris and Kelly. They were there for me in ministry and helped me through many dark valleys in my life. They helped me get over some hurtful things that I experienced and they encouraged me to keep the faith and keep loving even when I wasn’t loved in return. Now they’re gone from my proximity, but never from my memory, and I thank God for them.

But I am most thankful for the friendships that have endured. The friendships that have lasted have been the ones that we’ve worked at…both them and me. People like Cindy (who I married, by the way), Bob, Tim, and Mike. We’ve reached out regularly, spoken on the phone, been completely honest with each other and even challenged each other. These friends have been critical of me, and I got mad at them for it, but later, knew they were right. These are friends who have always been there and will never leave. They are the epitome of Proverbs 17:17a, “A friend loves at all times…”.

Honestly, there aren’t too many of that kind of friend in my life, and that’s okay. I’m not sure I could handle too many people in my life who knew me that well. But I’m glad they’re there. And I am glad that they always will be.

So this Thanksgiving, thank God for your friends. And we’ll see you on Sunday!