Meaning of a Friend

What a wild and strange week this past week has been. I've been and experienced so much in the past 7 days that I can't even begin to put everything into words. Perhaps I should just start with a verse that has been extremely heavy on my heart ... its Proverbs 17:17

"A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity"

As I type this I'm not sure exactly where to start, but will take a stab at what occurred last Wednesday. I was blessed with the experience of watching a friend discovery the power of Christ firsthand. As I watched the tears roll down her cheeks I was reminded of the Grace of God and how he could heal anything said or done... how he can transform us, renew us, and love us when we don't have the ability to love ourselves. I hope I had a small part in the transformation that occurred in her, but we all know that anything that I said or did was from our Risen Savior and he just used me to help her find her way to the truth. God's power is awesome to watch when you allow yourself to be his vehicle and allow him to speak through you. I have to say this was one of the most humbling experiences of my life and changed my outlook and perspective greatly. It made me realize that even though we are small ... we can be BIG through Jesus. We can do anything through him!

Next, I will share what happened Saturday. The family and I were part of a three car accident on I-270 in Columbus. We were basically T boned at 70 mph on the drivers side, hit another vehicle, and God helped me not only keep our truck from flipping, but wrapped his arms around everyone involved and no injuries occurred. The truck may be a total loss, but that is so secondary. My lovely wife reminded me of this and helped me regain my focus in spite of it all. I choked back the tears as I thought about what could have been, but was truly blessed to have the angel I married next to me to remind me of what was important.

Finally, I will give you my observation of other things that occurred and continue to occur in the context of the verse above. It never seems to fail that when I face adversity someone is there to pick me up. And, apparently I was there at the precise moment I needed to be there for my friend last Wednesday. When I think of Proverbs 17:17 I often think of the healing power of friendship through forgiveness (i.e. A friend loves at all times...) I guess the past week, God has shown me the second part and perhaps the most important (and a Brother is born for adversity).

Praise be to our incredible God my friends! I can't wait until the day we are all dancing and worshiping in Heaven together without pain, without struggle, without everything that binds us! Let's continue to let God's Love, Agape Love fuel our hearts and fill our minds.

Thank you for the honor of being your Brother... Thank you for the honor of being your friend!
Love in Christ,
Steve