2 posts tagged “old friends”
I wonder why more people don't enjoy meeting new people.
Ever heard of the six feet rule?
You've seen it at church, three people speaking to each other in a little group, six feet
facing each other.
When you see that, you do not feel welcome. You hesitate to join the group, because it
looks like you can't get in.Truth is, most people just walk away from trying to get into that circle. After all, their backs are to you, it's a closed circle.
I like meeting new people. I like my old friends, but I like to make new ones, too.
Andrew was like that. He met Jesus. He soon concluded that Jesus was the Messiah that
John the Baptist had said was coming soon.
So Andrew went to get his brother Simon and he brought him to Jesus and introduced him.
I think a lot about Andrew. How friendly he was. How inviting he was. How he had the
knack to make friends with almost anyone.
He had to be a cheerful gus. He had to have a warm smile, a twinkle in his eye, and a
spring in his step.
I don't think he was glib. Or loud. Or superficial. I think he showed genuine interest in
new people. He got excited about them, wanted to introduce them to his family and
friends, too.
No six feet rule for Andrew. His circle was ever widening.
Remember, he was the one who also brought the Greek men to see Jesus. "Sir, we would
see Jesus," they told Andrew.
And Andrew rushed to bring them to Jesus, his best friend. He must have been proud that day. And happy that his voluble nature helped start something ... in the neighborhood.
voluble \VOL-yuh-buhl\, adjective:
1. Characterized by a ready flow of speech.
2. Easily rolling or turning; rotating.
3. (Botany) Having the power or habit of turning or twining.Rostow was voluble, exuberant and full of good and sometimes foolish ideas.
Voluble derives from Latin volubilis, "revolving, rolling, fluent," from
volvere, "to roll."
"Make new friends, but keep the old.
"One is silver, but the other gold."
There's no friend like an old friend!
Thirty-two years ago I was finishing graduate school.
While I was there I made some wonderful new friends.
We get together once a year, a few days after Christmas, just to reconnect over dinner and conversation.
In this way, my new friends have become treasured old friends.
The Bible says in one place that "there is a friend who is closer than a brother" (or, sister).
There is a bond that develops over time between friends that is healthy for the body, mind, and spirit.
To me, these old friends are precious.
Points to Ponder:
1. I must first be a friend to myself.
2. To have friends, you must be a friend. Am I offering my friendship to others?
3. To enjoy friends, I must receive the gift of friendship from others. Am I able to receive, as well as offer, friendship?
4. Remember, the school of friendship has no graduates. It's an art, best practiced, never mastered.
