Happy Feb 14th! :)

What, you thought I was going to say "Valentine's Day" or "Friendship Day"?

LOL...

But thank God for friends indeed. :)

Had a good time catching up with one of my coursemates from NUS. Actually, it's very interesting - we are both hearing-impaired.

Something that struck me: it's very fascinating watching how he interacts with me, because it feels like I'm seeing an external version of myself interacting with me. External in the sense of personality and social skills. Which is a invaluable learning experience.

Oh yes. I was also inspired by the reflective contemplative of The Naked Soul's blog that I came across from Andrew's blog. (it really is a very enriching and thought-provoking blog), it made me think about today. Today. What did I learn from today? And what can I learn from my experiences? How can I know God better today, using the Bible as my lens to see the world around me?

Think I'd starting doing that back a few years ago, but I've slacked in my reflecting and thinking deeper till then. To learn to see God in more and more things of my life.

A Heart That Sees. :) So nice. Like how Proverbs tells us to learn from nature, from people, from incidents, even from ruins, etc.

So Lord, help me see how Today, Feb 14th, is the day that You have made. And let me rejoice and be glad in it. Through the grace and wisdom of Christ, I pray amen.

******

As I sat in the park, praying silently with eyes open, I saw a pair of old lovebirds strolling around. How sweet. Valentine's Day, and their romance is still new.

And as I sat at the cafe with my friend, chatting, I observed many tender young couples strolling around with pretty flowers. The sweet aroma of young love.

But how many of these young couples grow to be old couples? Will they be like the pretty flowers that last only a few days, or will they be like the strong trees that endure as long as life itself?

******

After I finished praying in the park, I walked to the train station. And was thinking, even though I'm single, I'm very grateful to God for the friends He has given me. Thankful especially for the blessings of Peter and Kin Wee who "accompanied" me on MSN through the week. Just really blessed by their company.

And I was thinking, isn't the friendship of God even better than these? We say, what a friend we have in Jesus... so have we really accepted the friendship of God that He extended through Jesus, his Son?

Have we today felt the comfort of His presence? The delight of talking with Him through prayer? The renewed assurance and living hope that He gives us daily?

He does, He does. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; for as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

But there's another side to this coin... are we His friends? It is possible for a friendship to be non-mutual... after all, you and I can share experiences where you felt very close to that person, but the person didn't feel close to you.

Truth is, Jesus Himself said, "You are my friends if you do what I command." (emphasis mine) I can't find a way around this statement of His - He puts it so bluntly. Jesus isn't a people-pleaser - He is Lord after all - and He knows it perfectly well.

9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.

But why does He want us to show our love to Him through obeying His commands? Doesn't that sound like... a servant rather than a friend?

Hmm. I think the Lord wants to show us a deeper insight into what real and true friendship is. Friendship is more than feeling loved. Friendship with God means we have to love those whom He loves. I read from John Ortberg's Love Beyond Reason, that in Greco-Roman times, if one claimed to be a friend of someone, then he was expected to be a friend of his friend's friends and an enemy of his friend's enemies. So same with our friendship with God.

And friendship involves openness. One very good measure of friendship is how open we are to one another.

Friendship with God. What an awesome thing if He said that we are His friends indeed! :) We can count on God, but will He be able to count on you and me to be obedient and loyal to Him? It is possible to be a close friend of the King of Kings... even though we are still subject to His authority, we'll be able to relate to one another as friends. Like how Abraham interceded with God over Sodom and Gomorrah... "haggling" might be a better way to put it. :)

Friendship with God. It's a mind-blowing thing indeed! :)

May you have a happy Friendship Day each day of your life!