When Push Comes To Shove

In thinking about friendships, I find that real friends are very few. I read this post written by one of my favorite Christian bloggers, J. Grant Swank, Jr., and thought it was worthy of sharing with you. He blogs under the title of "Truth in Conviction".
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His web-site offers insights related to politics, religion and social happenings in the US and worldwide. The columns' philosophical base is conservative. Regarding religion, it is evangelical. Concerning social matters, it is grounded in biblical ethics.
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Maybe you have thought about your own friendships. Are they real? Are they long lasting? Are they many/few?
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Are your friends trustworthy and loyal...or, do they bale out at the first sign of conflict? When push comes to shove, are friends difficult to find?
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Just food for thought!
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MOST FRIENDSHIPS ARE FICKLE
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
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They truly are.
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I have asked myself why over the years one ends up with a few really trustworthy friends. I have concluded that their lack of high numbers is due to The Fall.
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When our first parents disobeyed God, that brought a dreadful rip in community. That means that friendships are very difficult to mold—that is, the ones that are genuine over time.
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Of course we like to say that we have a lot of friends. We include the clerk at the corner store in that countdown. We also include several neighbors who wave at us when we walk out of the front door. And we also include little children whom we call “nieces and nephews.”
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But what I am referring to are those friends who last nearly or actually a lifetime. They are few.
I have told my children, attempting to warn them ahead of time, not to expect more than half a dozen real friends over a lifetime. That may sound strange coming from a Christian. After all, we believers are to testify to God’s unbelievable blessings.
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However, God is no fool.
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God Himself has few friends. Jesus said as much. Jesus said that there are few on His road that leads to heaven. There is the majority on hell’s route to damnation. And when one studies the Old Testament, it is clear that God does not win out in the numbers’ game. Nor did Jesus. Even with twelve chosen, Judas sliced Him through. Peter almost did so as well.
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Therefore, it is Christian realism to inform my children that over a lifetime they will be fortunate to have half a dozen actual friends. Therefore, I am content with my advice.
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As years go by, I realize all the more that genuine friendship is a treasure like very few others. Therefore, it is to be honored. Further, God must be thanked for the gift come upon.
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Opportunism is such a game “friends” play with one another. Selfishness is another. Mortals think nothing of short-term alliances called “friendships.” But short-term devalues the term “friend.” A friend is one who holds in there for the long-term—the life span of another.
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It takes selflessness to have friends. And it takes the same value to be a friend to another.
As years move along, I realize that the over-time friends are those who have accepted my idiosyncrasies and I have accepted theirs. We do not expect perfection. We understand that we are spiritually damaged due to The Fall; therefore, we enjoy one another regardless of our shortcomings.
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These friendships weave in and out of tragedies, calamities and other dangers befalling us all. These friends know how to empathize when hurt. They know how to rejoice gladly with another. They know how to keep the faith no matter what the weather.
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I have had those who have claimed me as friend who have then betrayed that trust. Sadly, this number is great. But I don’t take all that as an awful comedown. After all, I have read my Bible. And again, having studied the Scriptures, I realize that I am in good company—the company of God.
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Consequently, if God can remain loyal to His few while many others claim Him while eventually rejecting Him, so can I.
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And I will.
http://truthinconviction.us/weblog.php?id=P1744