I have seen many over the years express deep words of commitment and gratitude for someone's friendship - declaring "I call you friend!" only to abandon that person in their time of need. This was not my own experience, however, witnessing such events only cause me to stop and wonder where the breakdown occurs.
If what Jesus said was true (and I'm going to say that it is, cause you know..)then by him laying down his life for us, he was calling everyone who would come to him his "friends." This baffles me. It baffles me because we (people) were the ones who not only weren't friendly to him but we crucified him - we sent him to his death. Still he says you may kill me, you may treat me wrong and insult me but I call you friend. We are called his friends for His glory. He shows his patience and his kindness when he calls us his friends because we don't deserve his affection but he still holds it out to us.
What I've seen in relationships is honestly ridiculously lacking when I consider what Christ calls friendship. Love is patient. It is kind, it does not envy it does not boast, it is not proud or self seeking, it keeps no records of wrong, it always hopes, it always perseveres - that never fails.
It's not always filled with fulfilled expectations and happy feelings. People will fail. It's going to happen. It's a choice to make someone your friend - it's a choice to love someone because sometimes circumstances will scream at you to run the other way.
I'm considering this simply because it maddens me when I hear empty words of commitment and I don't want to live my life like that. I want to be someone who is willing to love beyond the failure or the hurt or the offense.
Sometimes I'm just not sure how. Lord, teach me how.
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