I consider myself fortunate to have a few friendships which have endured for decades. One is a grade school classmate. Our families lived a few miles apart in Western Kansas. We played together and were good friends during those years. Both families moved away after we finished eighth grade. His to Colorado and mine to Washington State. With his efforts we reconnected as adults and exchanged occasional letters and emails. Last year we both traveled to the small town near the farms where we grew up for a community celebration that happens every five years. We spent part of two days together, reconnecting and reminiscing. For me, a thoroughly delightful experience! Sixty-nine years had passed since we had last seen each other. An incredible experience to have the opportunity to reconnect and rekindle our friendship. Several other friendships I cherish have lasted from teen years and early adulthood to current. Others developed through the years. Some friends have passed away and the number declines as I age.

I have another friend with whom I have been friends fifty years. He has been my friend, as is said, through the good, the bad and the ugly. The friendship with Him is different than other friendships I have had. It is a deeper, closer friendship. He remained my friend through my second divorce and marriage to my current wife of forty-five years. After my second divorce I was devastated and felt like a complete failure. He encouraged me through times I felt like I couldn’t go on and didn’t know if I wanted to. There have been mountain peaks as well as valleys of varying heights and depths during the fifty years we have remained friends. The council He has given me has kept me on track and enabled me to live a life of meaning and purpose. I cannot imagine life without Him as my closest friend. He is friend and Lord in my life. My friend is Jesus Christ. He leads and directs my life daily. I have learned unless He is both friend and Lord, I tend to mess things up. When He is both, my life goes much better.

He offers his friendship to anyone who asks.

No one has greater love (nor stronger commitment) than to lay down his own life for his friends.  (John 15:13 AMP)