"Being a Friend"

“Being a Friend”

 

Early in my ministry I was heading out the door to a pastors’ gathering when I received a call from the captain of the town’s volunteer emergency squad asking me to help with lifting a patient into the ambulance. I said I couldn’t do it and headed for the meeting. When I was about halfway to my destination the Lord spoke to me and in effect said, “You blew it, Pal!” As always He was right so when I got home I called my friend to apologize. To my knowledge I haven’t repeated this kind of mistake (although I’ve made plenty of other ones).

Had I known a young man in my church named Rick Jantzen better I probably wouldn’t have acted as I did. Over the years I have gotten well acquainted with him because in 1974 he became my brother-in-law. Rick was a journeyman plumber (following in his late father’s footsteps) who used his skills not only in his employment but in assisting friends and neighbors. He also spent countless hours serving the Lord by doing many maintenance projects in his church, some down and dirty. By doing so he taught me that friendship means, among a lot of other things, being willing to be inconvenienced to address others’ needs. But there’s often the battle of balancing people’s demands and expectations with one’s own “stuff” which isn’t always easy.

I have a plaque on my dresser given by a friend from my teen years which says, “A friend walks in when everyone else walks out.” This is another way of stating the truth of Proverbs 17:17: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Too often “friendship” is based on what we can get rather than what we can give (“Wealth brings many friends, but a poor man’s friend deserts him.”—Proverbs 19:4). Isn’t it great to know that God doesn’t view our relationship with Him in this way (“…There is a (F)riend who sticks closer than a brother.”—Proverbs 18:24)?

Rick, your actions have helped me understand more fully what’s involved in being a friend. May we together heed Jesus’ words, “Now that you know these things (i.e. our ministry and our responsibilities to others), you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:17).

 

Blessings!

Jim McMillan