For the past three or four years I have been meeting with one of my best friends for coffee every Wednesday morning for an hour or two. We talk about life together, we read the Bible together, and we pray together. He's about my age, and we are at similar stages in life. We have the kind of relationship where we can tell each other anything, and we're the kind of friends who look out for one another in this life. Every man needs to have good friends like that who are willing to stand shoulder to shoulder in the cosmic battle between good and evil that defines so much of our lives every day (whether we realize it or not).
Good friends stand by us and are consistent whether things are going well or not so well. Over the past several months I have been experiencing a lot of good things... with my family, professionally, academically, and with reaching others for the sake of Christ's eternal purposes. I have enjoyed that season tremendously, and I am thankful for how God has profoundly blessed me to be able to experience so much joy in this life. Then, beginning with this past weekend, I seem to be being hit by one wave after another of difficult life circumstances and bad, heartbreaking news. Still, when I met with my friend this morning our time together was like a breath of fresh air as I have been going through a tough week. I know my brother in Christ has my back. Our time together was well-needed! I know that God is going to get me through this tough time one way or another, and I am glad that good friends are surrounding me for this journey through life.
This is a crucial concept for all grown men who follow Christ... the temptation is for us to go through life on a solo mission, but God wants us to surround ourselves with trustworthy friends who can join with us in the great journey through life. The movies may glamorize solo missions, but God is not a God of solo missions. If we do not have deep, meaningful relationships with our fellow brothers in Christ who are willing to speak into our lives, then we will be dead meat if we step out into the world alone. God wants to work through our close friends to strengthen us and equip us for the battle in God's mission to redeem the world. The battle is real whether we are working as a businessman or as a pastor at a church. We need to hold each other up. The concept goes much further than the cheesy version of "accountability partners" that many churches hold up as the standard for male interaction. Life is hard, and we need much, much more than accountability. We need friends who will stand in the gap for us. I am so thankful that I have a few friends like that. I wouldn't trade that in for any cheap, surface friendship that this world has to offer.
No comments:
Post a Comment