I have thought on this for a while this week. You see, at about 5:whatever each morning there is a warm pot of coffee, my bible and Jesus waiting to meet with me. This week my heart has been wrecked by the story of Lazarus. Briefly, this is the story where Jesus hears his friend is sick (and that means deathly) and waits for three days to go see him. His friend dies and everyone is just a little confused - including me.
However, this is not where the wreckage occurs for me. The site of the wreck in my heart happens at the point where Jesus three times shows great emotion - and I quote, "...he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled..., ...Jesus wept..., Jesus, once more deeply moved..." Lazarus, as a "friend" of Jesus has died and even though Jesus was in the process of raising him from the dead His heart was troubled.
In John 15:13 says, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" and again speaking of Abraham James 2:23 says, "...and he was called God's friend."
So, a few questions here:
- Is Jesus your friend in reality? Would you like to be known as a friend of Jesus? or do you think of him more like this clip:
- Are you like me in that you have a hard time picturing Jesus moved as he was for Lazarus over you? why...please comment and start a discussion.
- Finally, what makes it so hard for us to dole out that kind of passion in ALL our friendships?
Today I was driving home after spending some time with a dear friend and I was thinking about the way I approach friendships. Sometimes I leave a conversation with sister in Christ and feel totally encouraged and closer to the Lord. Then there are times when I've had a bad day and I just refuse to be encouraged. Do you ever have days like that? "I'm in a bad mood! Don't ruin it!" haha. Anyway, today as I was thinking about that and realized that it all comes back to my focus. A lot of my negativity comes from focus on myself or on a certain friend and comparing myself to them or at least comparing my struggles to theirs. It was in the midst of the ENCOURAGING encounters that my thoughts were Christ centered. We can't be "people passionate about compassionate love in friendships" unless we go to the source. (God is love.)
ReplyDeleteAlong the same lines . . .what about God? Is he my BEST friend? As i was looking over some past journal entries, a certain entry caught my attention. I wrote down the cycle of sin I often was caught up in for my relationships: "make a new friend, try my hardest to impress them, expect them to be God, find out they aren't, embitterment for their inability to be God . .resulting in a selfish, severed friendship." God has blessed me with some amazing friendships, but they can be destroyed so easily by idolatry. One of my favorite quotes by Elisabeth Elliot, "We to often look to the gift instead of the giver." No one knows me intimately like my heavenly father. He knows the hairs on our head. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. The maker of the universe desires to be my BEST friend . . . so why settle for less?
At one point I nearly felt guilty for finding so much joy and encouragement in my friendships because I thought God should be enough . .and he is, but he also chosen the church to be his hands and feet. This was solidified recently in my devotions . . .Philippians 4:10-11
I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
Paul was totally psyched and gratefully WILLING to receive help from friends . . .but also made sure to say that he was not in NEED. Your richly astute wife always said, "If you think you NEED it . . . it's an IDOL." So, those were some of my thoughts . . .sorry it was long. I guess this makes up for all the times I said I would comment on your blog and never did!!!
Lys
in response to lys..
ReplyDeletegood good stuff alyssa. I agree with what you say about projecting God-like status on a friend only to be let down. there is tremendous peace in understanding that because we are friends with Jesus we can then be a good friend to others. make sense.
its like this - God either has my heart (which speaking in purely Biblical terms is THE control center for us as humans - involving the mind, will and emotions) or I am still working to polish my heart so he can have it (religion). Option 1 is an immense pressure lifter and freedom finder in relationship to friends and our conduct concerning them. Option 2, well, lets just say life could be better if it were not an option.
thanks for your thoughts.
Lately I've had to work pretty hard at my relationship with Christ. It has been discouraging; I think to myself "it shouldn't be this hard when I've been a Christian for so long" It is a struggle to do my devotions, a struggle to pray, a struggle to think of Him throughout the day, and struggle to reach out. But as I was reading the post I thought about how sometimes my friendships, even the ones I've had for so long, need work to keep them going. Sometimes it is me, sometimes it is my friend, sometimes it is other circumstances that make it difficult to maintain a level of closeness. I guess the conclusion that I came to is that friendships do not happen naturally, they take time and energy and effort, and if Jesus is my friend then my relationship with him will also need the same kind of care.
ReplyDeleteon a different note, thanks doug, i will be singing that song all day now.
Coryell,
ReplyDeletethanks so much for your thoughtful input. I pray that as you grow in your understanding of God's friendship to you, that you will be a more accurate representation of Christ in the world and to your friends.
and about the song, that was kind of the point.