Let's get stupid together!

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. 
Ralph Waldo Emerson

I don't 'get stupid' with my friends like some may think of 'getting stupid' with their friends. I don't know how you interpret what Emerson said, but in my opinion he was trying to say it is okay for us to be our true selves with those we are able to call true friends. Why is that possible? I think it is because trust has been established and we know it won't be betrayed when we 'bumble' a little around a friend. It is a true blessing to have such a friend - it is a greater blessing to be such a friend!

Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family. (Proverbs 18:24 MSG)

Old friends are those we usually refer to as 'true friends' - they have endured the test of time, the challenges of relationship with us, and become our truest companions along some of the toughest journeys. Not all of us have experienced that kind of friendship - not all of us have been that kind of a friend. Yet, it is not too late - for we have the ability to make that connection - to be that connection - as long as we have breath left in us.

"Stupid" is really the word Emerson used to describe someone acting in an unintelligent or careless manner. This can describe us in so many ways, at so many times! The 'senselessness' of some of our words, much less our actions, can sometimes be quite annoying! Yet, the true friend will stick with us even when our words and actions get a little exasperating. I was always told that to have good friends you have to be a good friend. There is very good wisdom in those words!

How do we 'befriend' another? Isn't it through attraction of some sort? We see something in them, or they see it in us, and we are drawn to them. We want to associate with them - because we admire something in them, or we just enjoy their enthusiasm and joy. We make ourselves available in relationship and then we see where it goes. Not every venture into friendship will end up with us having that BFF kind of relationship, but there will be those that rise to the top. When we have these kinds of relationships - we must treasure them well.

To be a good friend, one must be faithful to the relationship. One must treasure the relationship. We do this by not only spending time with each other, but spending time in prayer for each other. There is as much 'behind the scene' work in relationship as there is 'face time'! We need those supportive prayers, and even those prayers that will turn us away from our folly. We treasure most those times when we feel the support of another - even when they lack the ability to 'fix' the issue for us. 

Be a good friend - exemplify the love of Christ in those relationships you have been given. Be a 'grace-giver' where grace is not so much 'deserved' as it is 'needed'. Be a faithful companion - showing you can be trusted to walk alongside another long after others have drifted away. Be a good friend and you will be surrounded with good friends! Just sayin!

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