KEEPING YOUR FRIENDS
Friends are precious. True friends are more than acquaintances. They are the special people with whom you bond over a period of years. You can’t forget them. If you lose touch with them, you worry about them. You do your best to get back in contact. You are not looking for help or for a favor, but you wonder whether they need you.
I almost lost touch with Ellie. We had served together on the mission field. We had prayed together through many trials and had encouraged one another when the going was difficult.
Now Ellie lived in New York. I had visited her only once in the past 40 years. Yet whenever I called her, I instantly felt as close to her as if I had just seen her yesterday. I knew she had no living relatives except an older brother who lived in another state, so I was praying for her. We had exchanged letters for many years, but since she got cancer Ellie no longer had the time or energy to write me.
I had a strong urge to get in touch, so I called Ellie several times over a period of weeks, but she was never home. Oh, how I regretted that I had never thought to ask for her brother’s phone number! How could I locate her now? Had she gone on to heaven already?
Finally I wrote to several retired missionary friends by email, asking if they knew what had happened to Ellie. Finally I received a clue, the name of her pastor. I searched for him on the Internet and found several in the New York area with the same name, and I chose a phone number to call. The pastor’s wife called me back, saying that Ellie had broken her shoulder and was staying with a friend. She gave me a phone number to call, and soon I heard Ellie’s voice again! She didn’t have my phone number with her, so she hadn’t been able to call me.
God was taking care of my friend, but through this experience He reminded me to value friends more highly and always keep in touch. Our friends need us to pray for them regularly. When possible, pray with them over the telephone. Sometimes they can’t write back, but we can send a card to remind them that we care.
Don’t take your friends for granted. If they drift away, you will be poorer. Find a way to serve them and help them. Be a giver, not always a taker. Make that phone call now. Next month may be too late. Love spread around will grow in volume and will bless your own life.
God needs you to pour love into your friends’ lives, especially those who are ill or living alone. Your friends are precious. Don’t lose them.
Friends are precious. True friends are more than acquaintances. They are the special people with whom you bond over a period of years. You can’t forget them. If you lose touch with them, you worry about them. You do your best to get back in contact. You are not looking for help or for a favor, but you wonder whether they need you.
I almost lost touch with Ellie. We had served together on the mission field. We had prayed together through many trials and had encouraged one another when the going was difficult.
Now Ellie lived in New York. I had visited her only once in the past 40 years. Yet whenever I called her, I instantly felt as close to her as if I had just seen her yesterday. I knew she had no living relatives except an older brother who lived in another state, so I was praying for her. We had exchanged letters for many years, but since she got cancer Ellie no longer had the time or energy to write me.
I had a strong urge to get in touch, so I called Ellie several times over a period of weeks, but she was never home. Oh, how I regretted that I had never thought to ask for her brother’s phone number! How could I locate her now? Had she gone on to heaven already?
Finally I wrote to several retired missionary friends by email, asking if they knew what had happened to Ellie. Finally I received a clue, the name of her pastor. I searched for him on the Internet and found several in the New York area with the same name, and I chose a phone number to call. The pastor’s wife called me back, saying that Ellie had broken her shoulder and was staying with a friend. She gave me a phone number to call, and soon I heard Ellie’s voice again! She didn’t have my phone number with her, so she hadn’t been able to call me.
God was taking care of my friend, but through this experience He reminded me to value friends more highly and always keep in touch. Our friends need us to pray for them regularly. When possible, pray with them over the telephone. Sometimes they can’t write back, but we can send a card to remind them that we care.
Don’t take your friends for granted. If they drift away, you will be poorer. Find a way to serve them and help them. Be a giver, not always a taker. Make that phone call now. Next month may be too late. Love spread around will grow in volume and will bless your own life.
God needs you to pour love into your friends’ lives, especially those who are ill or living alone. Your friends are precious. Don’t lose them.
posted by Rosemary @ 7:49 AM
