Treasure Your Friends

A very dear friend MSNed me just now. He wanted to apologise for his style which he spoke... but I told him, it's really ok! 'cos I know it's his style, and I enjoy it some more!

And he said he was checking with me how I felt, just to be sure... and then he said these immortal words:

******** says (11:54 PM):
you're too good of a friend to let be misunderstood

Deeply, deeply touched. His thoughtfulness is one of the best things I appreciate and even admire in him... Really don't deserve this kind, thoughtful friend... but God gave me him as a gift!

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And that reminds me of another friend. Andrew. Yup, my neighbour in Christ cum fellow brother from Hope. Once again, he's set the bar in being a great friend, brother and neighbour.

'Cos some of you may know that my dad scalded his hand badly last night. It was a second-degree burn, with the skin well and truly sloughed off. So I messaged some of you to pray for my dad.

And Andrew messaged me this, among other messages:

hm can see that u are quite worried for yr dad. will yr maid be around to take care of him when u go to work in the morning? if not i can come over. cos i took off from work.

:'O

I was so stunned when I read Andrew's message. It was the first time ever that anyone had offered to do such a thing like this - and Andrew only knew my dad by face some more.

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While I was thanking God for Andrew, this verse came to mind:

Proverbs 27:10
Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father, and do not go to your brother's house when disaster strikes you— better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away. (NIV)

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Never abandon a friend—
either yours or your father’s.
When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance.
It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away. (NLT)

So was reflecting on this verse. It came so literally true last night. Learnt that God wants me to treasure my friends (and including my father's friends too - though honestly I don't know them actually), and not abandon them - not only in the physical sense - but also by forgetting about them or neglecting them, or failing to appreciate them for what they've already done for me.

I learnt two new things from these two friends of mine.

1: Go the extra mile to clear up any conflicts - don't risk them festering. Seek to resolve - not because you're worried what the other person will think of you, but because you treasure the other person to let the misunderstanding continue. Conflicts WILL happen, but they can either bond you or break you.

2: Go the extra mile in caring for your friends - even their parents too, where possible. Sometimes we feel awkward 'cos we may not know them... but truth be told, Andrew's act of love has transformed the way I see things... this is SO much the Christianity of the New Testament that I see made alive right before my own eyes! So I am inspired by his Christlike example to do the same for my fellow bros and sisters too.

Whoa. One is a non-Christian, the other a Christian serving as a leader... but God has chosen both of them to model for me a common truth from the Bible: "Love your neighbour as yourself."

So wow, thank You Father. I see how You are teaching and helping me grow in appreciation for others, like how Your Son appreciated his friends when he walked on the face of the earth.

Yeah and Amen!!!!!!!