There are many people all over the world, children and adults, who do not consider themselves to have any friends. Then there are many who consider themselves to have friends, but those friendships are build purely on lies or control, and so are false friendships.
How those people crave for real friends – friends they can rely on in times of need; friends they can talk to when they need a listening ear; friends they can trust with the darkest secrets.
Therefore those of us who are lucky enough to have friends, true friends, don’t ever take them for granted - tell them what they mean to you, don’t just assume they know; love them and care for them as you would want them to love/care for you; be honest and trustworthy with them and don’t ever let them down.
In summary, don’t ever take your friends for granted, cherish and nurture them always.
We all have family, some we’ve met other’s we don’t even know about. However as a follower of God, we are part of an even bigger family…God’s family!
Are you part of God’s family?
In my blog post yesterday Respite Prayer Request, I asked those who pray, pray for my Mum and Dad this coming week as my Dad goes for a week’s respite care, and as always, I was amazed by the response I got from you all – lots of you contacted me and told me you would pray for my family just as I’d asked. But what always amazes me even more, is that many of you who have never met me or my family, yet when asked to pray for us, you readily agree.
…that’s the power of being part of God’s family, and knowing the power of God’s love.
You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
The last few days I’ve spoken about the value of friendships and the wonderful feeling it can give you when you find a true friendship particularly when that friendship turns out to be a lasting friendship.
How about those friendship which end, how do they make you feel? We often feel upset, hurt and let down when friendships end, and none of these feelings are very pleasant are they.
Personally I’ve been there, got the t-shirt etc, I’ve had friendships that have end. Some I’ve got over very quickly others although the relationship broke down a while ago, still hurt when I think about them. I’ve even got one friendship which is still very painful whenever I see the person(s) concerned as they are quite simply rude and seem to want to continue to hurt me, and this was a person(s) that was a very good and close friend for many years.
Have you had this awful experience too, or have you experience something worse?
Whatever our experiences of broken friendships, I think we would all agree that it hurts when a friendship fails.
All I can say to you is stick in there, there are plenty of people out there who could be a true friend to you, as those “friends” you’ve lost were sadly not meant to be you friend for life.
So who else is there that we can always rely on as a friend who will never let you down or hurt you..
What do consider the best thing you can do for a friend?
I recently read the following which got me thinking about the above question:
The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend - Henry David Thoreau
Yes this statement is good, but personally I don’t believe being someone’s friend is the best thing I can do for a friend. In my opinion, the best thing I can ever do for a friend, is pray for them.
This might seem like a really daft answer to many of you, but for me as a Christian, I truly believe there is only one person who can be all we all need each and every day, and that is God. Therefore for my friends, praying for them is the best I can do for them, because God is the best friend of all.
If you’ve read all the above blog posts you’ll probably have realised that I really do believe that God sends us angels to give us help and support. So here’s my question for you?
One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
I hope that you may have the joy of experiencing an angel in your life, as although God may have sent you the angel during a difficult time in your life, it will be truly a wonderful experience for you as they will uplift you and give you the love, support and friendship you may be in need of.
Friendships are things we should cherish, because you never know when you may be in need of a real friend. Look after your friends, pray for them, pray for your friendships.
I hope you enjoy the following song He Sends Me An Angel sung here by The Three Sopranos:
The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart. (Elisabeth Foley)
When you have a true friend, have you noticed that you can go for days, even weeks on end without speaking to one another, but when you next speak/meet, it’s as if you’ve never been apart. That truly is a sign a of good friendship.
Do you have any friendships like this?
I hope you don’t take these friendships for granted as some people are not as fortunately as us to have someone they can call a true friend in their life.
Pray for your friends regularly, pray for your friendships/relationships with them, because if God is part of your friendship it will be a friendship to cherish forever.
For a few days this week I’ve talked about the devastation felt when some friendships are broken by one side (in Rejected Heart and I Believe In Angels). As I’ve said in these previous posts, it hurts for a long time, and even now I still feel the deep pain of the scar from that friendship.
It took me a long time after first realising my feelings for my friend were no longer reciprocated, to accepting the situation.
Why did it take me so long to accept it?
Because I thought I knew better than God! I thought the best thing for me was for that friendship to grow and flourish, however God had decided my angel’s work had been done, and therefore I no longer needed them. I have to be truthful here and say that despite this I still find myself hoping that someday this friendship may be rekindled as I still really care about my friend even though they seem not to care about me anymore…and I still find myself hurting when I think about the love, support and encouragement we share with one another…
I know that God will always decide what I need and when I need it, so he will determine if my friendship will ever be rekindles so that my friend and I can once again share the love, support and encouragement we once showed one another. If however that is not to happen, I believe God will continue to send me angels when I am most in need of them.
Either way, I continue to thank God for the period of time that my friendship with my angel really did “mean the world to me”, as without that time I’m not sure I would have got through those very dark days.
I heard, that your settled down. That you, found a girl and your married now. I heard that your dreams came true. Guess she gave you things, I didn’t give to you.
Old friend, why are you so shy? Ain’t like you to hold it back or hide from the light.
I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited. But I couldn’t stay away, I couldn’t fight it. I’d hoped you’d see my face & that you’d be reminded, That for me, it isn’t over.
Nevermind, I’ll find someone like you. I wish nothing but the best, for you too. Don’t forget me, I beg, I remember you said:- “Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead” Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead, yeah.
You’d know, how the time flies. Only yesterday, was the time of our lives. We were born and raised in a summer haze. Bound by the surprise of our glory days.
I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited, But I couldn’t stay away, I couldn’t fight it. I’d hoped you’d see my face & that you’d be reminded, That for me, it isn’t over.
Nevermind, I’ll find someone like you. I wish nothing but the best for you too. Don’t forget me, I beg, I remember you say:- “Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead”, yay.
Nothing compares, no worries or cares. Regret’s and mistakes they’re memories made. Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?
Nevermind, I’ll find someone like you. I wish nothing but the best for you. Don’t forget me, I beg, I remember you said:- “Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead”
Nevermind, I’ll find someone like you. I wish nothing but the best for you too. Don’t forget me, I beg, I remembered you say:- “Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead” Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead, yay yeh yeah.
Last night I went to play at ny first band practice in nearly year (Bellshill Salvation Army Band). I was a little apprehensive about going, firstly at the thought of taking that first step back through the door again, and secondly as I wasn’t sure whether I’d cope physically with playing.
My fears were unfounded though, as it turned out to be far easier than I’d imagined to take “that first step” and also as physically I survived, albeit with some pain, but not too severe thankfully.
During the practice we played one of my favourite pieces called “His Guardian Care“. The words of one of the melodies from that piece, which incidentally is the trombone quartet (it’s just coincidence honestly!), has stuck with me today:
God is with us all the time,In the morning when joybells chime,In the evening when lights are low;Our God is will us everywhere we go.
Do you believe those words?
I do! I believe if God had not been with me every minute of every day, particularly during these last few years, I would no longer believe in Him. During some of my darkest moments I questions God, wondering why He was letting me go through what I was, but every time I questioned Him, He answered me…sometimes by directing me to a particular song or piece of music, words from a friend or indeed words of comfort from someone I hardly knew!
God has proved to me He is always with me, regardless of whether I’m going through tough times or whether everything is going right for me. God can do the same for you…God is doing the same for you because He is right beside right now, whether you’re aware of Him or not!
I hope you enjoy Michael Olson singing the well known worship song God is With Us
Do you still worship Him, or have you turned away from Him?
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a lifelong Christian, a new Christian, or you used to be a Christian but disowned God or turned away from Him yesterday or years ago, God still loves you. In fact God still wants you to love Him.
God is always ready and willing to be your personal friend and saviour…you just need to ask Him!
My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. (Psalm 62:1 NIV)
I love the song I’m Still Willingby Keith and Kristyn Getty and it fits in perfectly with my thoughts today, as it reminds us God is still waiting to come into the lives of those who as yet have not accepted Him as their King:
I hear you fumble for words But I know what you’re trying to say You think you’ve gone too far For Me to take them all away But I want you to know That no matter where you’ve been That I am still willing To come and make you clean
I see the brokenness within I know the things you try to hide How can you pass this gift And still stay hungry deep inside For I want you to know That no matter where you’ve been That I am still willing To come and make you clean
I took all your chains on Me long ago Cause I knew you could not break them on your own I’ve made you to be free So I’m waiting for you Waiting for you
Don’t think it’s been too long Or that the promise has worn out Only I can give The grace you cannot do without Cause I want you to know That no matter where you’ve been That I am still willing
I am willing I am willing to come and make you clean
If you woke up this morning
with more health than illness,
you are more blessed than the
million who won’t survive the week.
If you have never experienced
the danger of battle,
the loneliness of imprisonment,
the agony of torture or
the pangs of starvation,
you are ahead of 20 million people
around the world.
If you attend a church meeting
without fear of harassment,
arrest, torture, or death,
you are more blessed than almost
three billion people in the world.
If you have food in your refrigerator,
clothes on your back, a roof over
your head and a place to sleep,
you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have money in the bank,
in your wallet, and spare change
in a dish someplace, you are among
the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.
If your parents are still married and alive,
you are very rare,
especially in the United States.
If you hold up your head with a smile
on your face and are truly thankful,
you are blessed because the majority can,
but most do not.
If you can hold someone’s hand, hug them
or even touch them on the shoulder,
you are blessed because you can
offer God’s healing touch.
If you can read this message,
you are more blessed than over
two billion people in the world
that cannot read anything at all.
You are so blessed in ways
you may never even know.
Sometime, in fact if I’m honest, a lot of the time, I take so much of what I have and what I’m able to do, for granted. I forget how privileged I am to have my freedom, family, friends, food, shelter. It’s only when I read something like the above, that I am reminded of these things.
How about you, do you take time out each day to say thank you to God for all you have?
I have now added to my prayer book, my need to say thank you to God more regularly for all I have, and to pray for those who are not fortunate enough to enjoy the same privileges in life as I do.
At the end of the day, whoever we are, and wherever we are, we can be assured that God is always with us.
How about those friendship which end, how do they make you feel?
What do consider the best thing you can do for a friend?
For a few days this week I’ve talked about the devastation felt when some friendships are broken by one side (in 
