Friendship

My writing has reached a new low with the most boring title ever. It doesn’t sound exciting, does it?! But a good friendship is actually incredible - far from boring. It’s life giving.

“Friendship is a gift from God”.

“Solid quote but sounds trite,” I brutally thought as I listened to my friend Sam leading a devotion. But I heard her out as she developed the point very well, zooming in on the friendship between David and his mate Jonathan. Infact her point was so good, that I’m still thinking about what she said six months later. Friendship isn’t required for us to survive; it’s not in the same category as food, water, shelter, warmth. Authentic connection with others is a ‘life bonus’ - one we probably take for granted when it is familiar. Friendship enriches our lives and brings blessing to the ordinary and hard days. It’s a gift.

I sat on the phone today with a friend that would be better described as my twin sister. We have the same birthday, we talk the same, we kind of look the same, we absolutely think the same. She lives in another corner of New Zealand, and she feels like home to me. We got to the end of our conversation, and I just sighed. She asked me a beautiful question “is there anything I can do that would make it feel better?” I don’t think we will ever get used to the physical distance. She concluded she will answer the phone whenever I ring. It is so hard when good friendships change from what we know and comes easily.

Jesus knows all about sacrifice, grief and surrender. He is good company on hard and lonely days.

In the book of Matthew is a well-known Sunday school story. The disciples - Jesus’ mates - were in a boat amongst a storm that was ramping up and then BOOM! Jesus was walking towards them on the water! The disciples were understandably terrified, but Jesus, chill as ever said “Don’t be afraid. Take courage. I am here.” Were they afraid of the storm, Jesus walking on water, or both? I’m not sure. They did reckon he was a ghost. All the above?!

Jesus then told Peter to get out of the boat to come and join him. And he did! That’s a bold move if ever I heard one. Peter faltered, took his eyes off Jesus and began to see the wind and waves roaring around him. He started to go down.

Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith.” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” (Matthew 14:31)

As a young child hearing that story, I imagined Jesus speaking those lines as a telling off. But as an adult I hear them differently. Jesus see’s our struggle, our wrestle and questions, our fear. He doesn’t tell us off for that, but he extends an invitation to dialogue.

He will sit with us while we have a tantrum of it not being fair. He will reach out to us and lean in to listen. He will give peace in the storm.