Agreeing

A person who most of us see as a good friend is most often someone who views life the same way as we do. When close friends share our values, it cuts a huge wedge out of loneliness. When we know that someone understands the way we are living, understands our griefs, our worries and even the walls before us, yet this friend continues to believe in us and feel confident that we're on the right track, that there is such good medicine!¹

So being in agreement with people makes a good starting point for a friendship. And sometimes an even greater friendship can happen if we have friends in our lives with whom we can agree to disagree about some things. I am good friends with a number of individuals that are not in the same political party as I am. But I love them, and they love me, and love overtakes our differences.

Our greatest need sometimes, is to know that we are not messing up, and someone who steps out and, well they're actually in the process of adding the word 'upstander' to the dictionary. Someone who proudly stands up, and tells the world that they back us in the choices we have made, I would say that is a friend to cherish.

It is so easy to have friends if we remember to show unconditional love, and also to avoid judging people. All it is, is a matter of making a firm decision to be loving, and when the temptation to be hostile comes, you have already committed it to memory: you have decided to choose love.

♬    Lady Gaga: Born This Way

¹(I need to say no, I don't think you should go off your medicine because you have good friends. I take a good bit of medicine myself. I only use the word medicine for literary purposes).

It's a New Day

♬   THE LORD THY GOD
by The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

(The Lord Thy God),
The Lord Thy God,
(He's in the midst of Thee),
He's in the midst of Thee, (He's mighty),
He's mighty,
(So mighty),
so mighty.

(The Lord Thy God),
The Lord Thy God,
(He's in the midst of Thee),
He's in the midst of Thee,
(He's mighty),
He's mighty,
(So mighty),
so mighty.

And I saw Him high and lifted up,
With power and grace, and authority.
And He shall reign,
In the midst of Thee,
Forever and ever, Amen.

(The Lord Thy God),
The Lord Thy God,
(He's in the midst of us),
He's in the midst of us,
(He's mighty),
He's mighty,
(So mighty),
so mighty.

(The Lord our God),
The Lord our God,
(He's in the midst of us),
He's in the midst of us,
(You're mighty),
You're mighty,
(So mighty),
so mighty.

And I've seen Him high and lifted up,
With power and grace, and authority.
And He shall reign,
In the midst of Thee,
Forever and ever, Amen.

Forever and ever, Amen.

I'm Finding

I'm Finding from Just A Friend on Vimeo.

O How He Loves You And Me

I've been thinking about you all, and I need to come and spend some time with you soon don't I? I've been a little ill, and had to rest for some time. But I'm getting better, and I'll be talking with yaz soon. Meantime enjoy this awesome video I just completed.  Love y'all!

Tell Me Something Good

Tell Me Something Good from Just A Friend on Vimeo.

Thou art with me

♬   PSALM TWENTY-THREE
by Kathy Troccoli

I called and the Lord heard me
He is close to the broken hearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit

Lord, You are my Shepherd
And I shall not want anymore
You make me lie down in peace
In fields of green I will sleep

Lead me beside the still waters
Gently restoring my soul

Even though I walk through the valley
(Lord heal me)
Of the shadow of death
(Please free me)
I will fear no evil, You are with me
(I know You hear my prayer)

Even though I walk through the valley
(Lord love me)
Of the shadow of death
(Please touch me)
I will fear no evil
(I need You here)

You prepare me a table
In the presence of my foes
There with oil You anoint me
And my cup now overflows

Surely Your love and Your goodness
Will follow me all of my life

Even though I walk through the valley
(Lord heal me)
Of the shadow of death
(Please free me)
I will fear no evil, You are with me
(I know You hear my prayer)

Even though I walk through the valley
(Lord love me)
Of the shadow of death
(Please touch me)
I will fear no evil
(I need You here)

Guide me now in Your righteousness
Oh, I will dwell with You forever

Even though I walk through the valley
(Lord heal me)
Of the shadow of death
(Please free me)
I will fear no evil, You are with me
(I know You hear my prayer)

PSALM TWENTY-THREE
by Kathy Troccoli

Even though I walk through the valley
(Lord love me)
Of the shadow of death
(Please touch me)
I will fear no evil
(I need You here)

Even though I walk through the valley
(Lord heal me)
Of the shadow of death
(Please free me)
I will fear no evil, You are with me
(I know You hear my prayer)

Even though I walk through the valley
(Lord love me)
Of the shadow of death
(Please touch me)
I will fear no evil
(I need You here)

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me

Friendship is at the heart

Here is something I created tonight for my Instagram, and I felt that it so much pertains to what we discuss here on Always Your Friend, and why we come here to discuss friendship, that I wanted to share it with all of you. Kind of a funny yet serious message.

Take the shortcut. We want money so that we can impress our friends, do we not? So why not, just be friendly to our friends, and everybody wins!!!

A photo posted by A Friend of God ☝ (@afriendlyhumanbeing) on Nov 9, 2015 at 9:41pm PST

Forgiveness and real friends - a follow-up

In a previous blog, I talked about the idea that if a good friend is truly a good friend, they will overlook it when we say a careless word, or for some reason cannot accommodate them in what they need from us. However, after sharing about that, I realized that there was something that needs to be clarified.

We know that real friends will stay faithful, and will not play games with our feelings. However, knowing that we can tell a real friend by their willingness to forgive does not mean we should trap them with the idea that IF... they are a true friend they will put up with whatever we say or do to them. Though real friends  always understand, if we genuinely appreciate them, we will do our best not to be selfish. We will show unconditional love in return, and think seriously before doing something hurtful or offensive. The feeling of wanting to stay friends in times of hardship should go both ways.

Knowing that real friends go the distance should not become a weapon by which we signal to our friends "well you are supposed to take whatever I dish out". We should always have a heart for doing the best we can to make the friendship work. To constantly exasperate someone by holding high expectations which we are not prepared to meet on our end as well, is wrong, and will not take us in the direction of sustaining quality friendships.

♬    Amy Grant: That's What Love Is For

Forgiveness - The measuring rod of friendship

If you're like me, every day you have some people who get annoyed with you, or hurt by something you said or did, (the way you behaved), and if you have no power over them or money to give them, they can get very bent out of shape, and decide they are not going to be nice to you anymore. This happens to me quite frequently.However, I have real friends, who I  also do and say hurtful things to sometimes, and guess what? They never stop being nice to me. Oh yes, they have their moods sometimes just like I do, but when I really need someone, they always are there to help and/or comfort. Real friends go the distance. They might get a little mad sometimes, but they never stop loving us.

Therefore, we can see those who are consistently there for us, those who understand when we are not at our best, as a measuring rod of real friendship. We can take the loyalty of our real friends, and when we measure it up against the games and falseness of others in our lives, then we understand that it's not only us who are to blame when some of our friendships don't work out.

Real friends help us understand that those who bear a grudge against us are not worth worrying about. Indeed this is brought out very clearly in many places in the Bible. I think of Psalm 15, which reads "Who shall dwell in thy tent o Lord? Who shall abide in they holy hill? He who walks uprightly, acts justly, and speaks the truth in his heart, who does not slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend." This wording "nor takes up a reproach against his friend", speaks of something we see so often. There are people who seem to look for something to get bent out of shape about. There are those who enjoy holding something against others.

Though we should do our best to be the best person we can be every day, there are going to be days when we fail people. But those who truly love us and want to remain our friends will overlook our flaws. Those who continue to remind us of what we did wrong, we need to understand that we just "never had them at hello".

♬    Haley Mills; Let's Get Together

He Who Began A Good Work In You