July 17th, 2018

July 17, 2018
 
              I try to share a blog post with you each Monday, but at times I am a day late. This time I was in the mountains on Monday without Internet but am now home and able to share my ideas with you.
              I spent the last couple days with a dear friend named Sue Lueneburg, one of the people I dedicated my book to. She has been a friend for over 55 years and always offers a sincere friendship with understanding, support, and a “meeting of the minds” I always find comfortable and reassuring. As I said in the book, Sue’s faith is strong and her love of our Lord inspires me.
              True friendship is one of God’s richest gifts. Most of us have varying experiences with friendships, finding some to be false, some to be shallow, some to be short-lived, and some to be burdensome. Hopefully, like me, you have also found friendships which are true, deep, long-lived, and enriching because burdens can be shared.
              As I shared in my book, all of us who believe have “this little light of mine,” a reflection of our Lord’s Light which helps others through our faith. Our lights can contribute much to the world. However, if we join our lights like candles in a candelabra, then the light is brighter and much more effective. One way to look at true friendship is to see it as joined light – and the joining enlightens each friend and then shines all around us.
              How do you surround yourself with Christian friends? I have always liked the term “cultivating friendship.” Cultivation in farming or gardening means not only preparing soil for use but enriching it, seeing to it that it yields good crops. In the same way, if we bring the best of ourselves to new friendships and work towards positive “yields,” we will find our lives and faith enriched.
              Jesus taught us not only how to be His followers but also how to be special friends. Praise Him for His blessings of friendship!