My bestie

I no doubt deserved my enemies, but I don't believe I deserved my friends. 

(Walt Whitman)

Yup, I no doubt deserved each and every enemy I have made in life - that is for sure. What I don't understand is how many friends I have with as foolish as I have treated some people at times! I think we all have 'those moments' when we do less than a stellar job of treating others well. If it is a lifestyle, no doubt you have more enemies than you have friends! If it is an occasional 'one-off' kind of moment, no doubt those who call you friend have already forgiven that 'one-off' moment. Friendship requires some work if it is to endure the hardships of time and the challenges of those 'one-off' days. What we invest into a relationship today may not show any real 'yield' until we most likely need it somewhere into the future.

There are persons for companionship, but then there are friends who are more loyal than family. (Proverbs 18:24)

In life we have lots and lots of acquaintances, but very few true friends we can actually call our 'loyal friends - those who are perhaps even more loyal than our own family members. I don't know that we 'do' anything that actually counts as 'deserving' such a loyal friend, but I know God is faithful to give us such blessings because he knows how desperately we need them. It may be we have friends in our lives that simply just 'fill a void' - like those we hang out with on occasion just because we need something fun to do. It could be we have friends who come in and out of our lives on various occasions, not really all that frequently, but we certainly treasure our time with them. But...the loyalty of your bestie - that BFF - that one you just 'click' with - nothing beats it!

Why do you suppose God brings about these deeper relationships in our lives? I believe it is because he knows the other individual will act as that 'honing stone' in our lives - as scripture reminds us it is iron that sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). As we 'rub shoulders' long enough, we begin to challenge each other to deal with things in our lives that actually create the 'harsh edges' in us. A true friend will help us hone those harsh edges, not because they are there to point them out, but because God has put them there to help us see ourselves as we could not see ourselves alone. Have you ever had a conversation with God about why he put a particular individual in your life? I have! Each time I ask him, he is faithful to reveal to me how that individual is helping me to grow.

I don't know about you, but I honestly don't believe we could do nothing to 'deserve' the besties we have been given - they are a pure gift from God - a treasure we should cherish. Over the course of my life, I have come to realize that God doesn't do things 'half-way'. When he places people into our lives, it is because he knows specifically what that individual will 'bring out', 'pull out', or 'push out' of our lives just by being there. There are things our 'besties' will bring out - good things, things we might not otherwise have realized were within us. There are other things our 'besties' will pull or push out of us - things we have kept hidden, out of reach, or tucked away from everyone. When these are pulled or pushed out, it isn't to 'expose' us, but to either help us open up and be healed, or to let it finally go. Today, why don't you just take a moment to just thank God for that 'bestie' in your life. They are his blessing to you! Just sayin!