October 18, 2010 - Sirach 6:7,8 - Friends

"When you gain friends, gain them through testing,
and do not trust them hastily.
For there are friends who are such when it suits them,
but they will not stand by you in time of trouble."

We have a saying for that type of friend: "fair weather." And many of our friends fall into this category. When the going gets tough, well...they disappear like a cat at a dog's bark.

So, the question for you today is, not who can you count on, but who can count on you? You see, I have a friend. Most of my friends have a pretty poor opinion of this friend, and I understand why. But when a friend is a friend, well...sometimes you just have to overlook some things if you're going to be loyal and true.

Are you familiar with the Vocals By Locals CD? It's called "Crew Girls, and it's one of my favorites. I've worn out more than one CD because I'll play it over and over. In the car, at home, going to sleep at night. At the risk of infringing on copyright, I want to share a bit of one of the songs here, because it fits. (check out their website and listen... )

I can’t tell you how your life’ll work
It’s a complicated earth, but I really care
Can’t offer you the secret of success
Any road to happiness
Or a way to make things fair
But I can tell you that you’re really somethin’
When you go wonderin’ if it’s all for nothin’

CHORUS:
if you just fell down ‘n you can’t get up
if you been runnin’ ragged ‘n you’re plain outa luck
if your sweet spirit won’t let you even laugh
just know I’m here for you, just know I got your back.

That's what a friend should be - someone you can count on when everybody else has counted you out. Sometimes being a true friend is seen as foolish, stupid even. But if you really care about somebody, and if you really believe in them and only want their happiness, then you stand by them, no matter what. You want what's best for them, even if your friendship doesn't make any sense to anybody else.

So...who is your friend? And who are you a friend to?

Blessings, Phoenix