Friendship

As I was taking a very brief walk today, my thoughts were focused on friendship.  Not on any one person in particular.  More so, in fact, that I have hardly had contact at all with anybody of late; nor that I mind the simple reality of this fact.

Along this track of thoughts in regards to friendship, my mind was contemplating communication and the... pursuance...of both friends, and loved ones.  Romantically speaking, to show that you are interested in someone means that you (hopefully the male) pursues the female, showing her your interest in something possibly deeper than friendship.  The same holds true on a friendship level.  To show that you want to keep a friendship, strengthen its bonds, lengthen its time, one friend (or both) pursue the other.  They call, write, e-socialize, hang out, etc.

This led me to think about our relationship with God.  While we pursue Him to know Him on a deeper, more intimate level, He was pursuing us, even before we had an established relationship with Him.  The physical, earthly aspect of this is a male pursing a female.  Subtly at first, and then as time goes on, in a more bold, obvious manner, he makes his intentions clear.  Likewise, the female has the option of choosing to encourage the pursuer because she is interested as well; or, she makes her disinterest clear and stops him from furthering his intentions.  So it is with us when we discover God's pursuit of our own selves.

Back to the aspect of friendship.  There was a point in time where I would get upset and disappointed if my friends did not make an effort to keep in touch with me, if they did not pursue me.  As the saying goes, "actions speak louder than words."  I thought it to be obvious that they clearly did not want to keep in touch nor continue a friendship because they hardly ever (if never) got in touch with me.  However, that was before I grew up...and realized what a true friend should be like.

A friend, who genuinely cares for the people that they know - whether it be lifelong friends, good friends, or even acquaintances - will do just about anything for those people.  In retrospect, a good Christian friend should always have the intent of pointing their friends to Christ.  This means encouraging them, holding them accountable, loving them despite their faults, praying for them, and so much more.  This also means constant pursuing of those people.

As I was remembering the fact that I am who I am, and to be a true, genuine friend to the people that I know, and I should be constantly striving to point them to Christ, it was the pursuing part that hit me.  If I want to be a good friend and to show the people that I know that I sincerely care for them, than I should be pursing them all the time, despite whether or not they respond to me.  Christian or not, lifelong friend or acquaintance, to be to the people in my life as Jesus is to me, means pursing them no matter what.  On or off days, good times or bad, tired or awake, strong or weak, I need to be pursing the people in my life like Christ pursues me.

Why?

Because I want to be able to show them the love that I know God has given me, as well as the love that He has for them.  

That unending, unconditional, sacrificial Love.

"And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."

 - Jeremiah 29.13

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends."

 - John 15.13