Friendship....

I have not posted in a long time because I gave up Blogging and blogs for Lent.

I have been wanting to have some deeper guy friendships where I live and I was journaling about this on Friday. I was led to a series of verses on friendship that really were not what I expected. The first verse I turned to I have known and loved, Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity." Growing up a I had a friend that was my best friend since 8th grade. We met each other the summer before 8th grade when we both had paper routes and got our newspapers dropped of the at the same "drop." I came riding up on a my sisters purple bike with a bannana seat to deliver the my papers. I'm sure I was not the picture of coolness, but rather dorky. But anyway, I will call him Joe. Joe and I spent a lot of time together folding our papers and we quickly became friends.

We were best friends through out high school, we were always together. I would stay over his house on many nights, even on some school nights. It was like I was his brother and his house was my second home. Besides Joe's friendship, his family was an oasis of stability compared to my own broken family. I cherished Joe's friendship. We went to a Youth Group together, were in a Bible study together, we basically came of age together.

But after I got married we drifted some due to different priorities in life. We also went to different churches and just did not see one another as much. After a few years Joe got married and we did some more things together and then were involved in a Bible study with 4 other guys. This helped us draw together again. I also deepended the friendships with the other guys in our Bible study. We met every other week, but it was often enough to connect and go deep.

Then I moved a 100 miles away. That is not really that far, but far enough to feel the distance. Far enough to feel the void distance can create in friendships. Far enought to realize how I took for granted these friendships I had developed over many, many years.

I can call these friends on the phone, and I do, but it is good to hang out with a friend. It is good to be go to coffee with somone instead of just talking on the phone. It is great to laugh with someone, to see and hear them laugh. I have a need to be with people at times, that can fuel me; I am an extovert who makes friends slowly.

God is faithful and provides for me, but not always as quickly as I would lile.

Getting back to some of the other verses I found on friendship:
Proverbs 18:24
"A man of many companions may
come to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks
closer than a brother."

Proverbs 12:26
"A righteous man is cautious in
friendship,
but the way of the wicked leads
them astray."

Proverbs 13:20
"He who walks with the wise grows
wise,
but a companion of fools suffers
harm."

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."

I guess there are areas of brokenness that do linger for me. It is part of living in a fallen world. I will keep looking for the "friend the sticks closer than a brother" and the "brother that is born for adversit." Perhaps someone needs me to be that for them, more than I need that. I pray that our paths will cross.