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†††~~Keeping Life-Long Friendships~~~†††
(Written by TiggerJane)
Keep. There's an interesting word.
I Love the definition my dictionary has for the word "Keep". It means "To provide with the necessities of Life...To support, raise, feed....and maintain."
I think there are many kinds of relationships that we can have. We all have many acquaintances...people that we see every day, or maybe every now and then that we always speak politely to and maybe think about from time to time. But do we count those amoung our Friends?? Not usually.
I have always believed that no matter what kind of relationship we choose to have with another person ..... that relationship takes regular maintainence and WORK effort.
You have to put an effort into anything you have that you want to see results from.
Its a shame, but nothing seems just to "run on its own". But do we really, REALLY care to take the time and the make the effort to do the necessary things that make a friendship work?
Sadly, often we do not, and we see it just fade away.
The questions is: Is there a Love that is greater than just friendship, but not the same as the love you have for your mate?
I think so. I think that sometimes God brings people into our lives, and gives us a special kind of love for them that just... abides.....remaining with us as long as we both live. I love reading about David and Jonathon in the Bible. It says that their hearts were KNIT together.....literally intertwined with each other as in bound with rope. They had such a great love for each other that they made covenant together..
sharing blood, exchanging robes....they LOVED each other.
Do we have or even desire a relationship of that nature in our lives?
And if we do, are we willing to do the things that it will take to keep it?
What do I think those things are...?
I think that depends on EACH of us and what lies in our hearts.
Tending, and "keeping" a relationship is something that you do every day. Just like you get up and shower and put on your clothes every day. A daily walk. Sometimes a sacrifice. Its a choice. Do we always feel like getting up and getting pretty and facing the day ahead of us? I don't know about you, but I dont, and I think we all have "off" days when we just don't feel like making the effort. And yes, I am human, and there are days when I feel more loving than others, but the friendships that I am blessed with in my life are a CHOICE that I make.
Daily. And then we are right back to the Bible. We are commanded to "Do unto others as we would have them do unto us"... What are the things that you need "done unto" you........
To conclude: What does it take to keep a lifelong friendship? It takes prayer. It takes that Daily walk and choice..and sometimes that daily sacrifice. Some of us believe it takes covenant and bonding. It takes a heart that can be mature enough to lay down selfishness and do what it knows someone else needs. And it takes doing the little things.....wondering what little things? The same things that you would like to see them do for YOU. Most of the time to Have a friend...you have to BE a friend.
Are you that friend?
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