Tuesday, March 18 ~ Spiritual Friendship

~~I Samuel 18:1
When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

~~As we live our lives, our paths will cross with the paths of others. All will be new acquaintances, initially. Some will be familiar to us as we may walk their path with them for a while before veering off in another direction. Our paths may diverge but even some will meet up with us again, and again; often during different times and situations within our own lives. While we may bond with those individuals, most will turn out to be simple friendships and only a few will turn into lifelong journeys with one another- a spouse, a parent, the little girl or boy who sat next to you in class every year from Kindergarten until senior year and remains your closest confidant. We cherish those relationships with all of our hearts! Even when we disagree and fight with one another, and boy- we can sure fight, we still love that other person and our hearts would be terribly empty and broken without them. But are we spiritually connected to them? Sure we love them in some form or fashion, but is it the same love that we have for ourselves?
I’ve had a few on again/off again friendships through my life- most coming from those I went to school with or shared interest in marching band or dance during my childhood. We grew up together then grew apart, chose different friends, were in different grades from each other. There are many reasons and excuses why we didn’t remain friends. Connecting spiritually with them is to be even more intimate, beyond simple friendship. And then there is that one friend that comes back into your life by surprise. You weren’t very close with them previously, but they remember you and you remember them. They greet you with a hug and then BAM! It is a hug like none other! It encompasses you completely and finds your heart, giving it a gentle squeeze. You are never the same after receiving that hug, and you never want to be the way you were before that hug! I have found that friendship in my church and feel so blessed to have this person back in my life. We laugh together, cry together, bond over the act of baking bread, and most importantly praise God together. I look into my friend’s eyes and see an incredible story book of their life- all the heartaches, the joys, and there is so much kindness and love spun together with those experiences. In that hug, you feel the happiness and the tears and relive their journey with them. You feel it every time you greet each other!
Lord, may you bless us with many friends as we walk this Earth, for they all have a purpose in our lives. And may we come together in unity with each other, supporting and loving each other as we face each day. Amen.
Myra Miller