Now and Then (Christina Ricci, Rosie O'Donnell, 1995)

I always enjoy chick flicks like, Now and Then. It's a movie about the importance of female friendships. It has the same appeal to me as Sex and the City. Yeah. I know. How do I compare those two films? lol Well, once you wade through all the "sex" in Sex and the City, it's really about friendships and the family you create (as opposed to the one you're born into). Anyway...those films remind me of my need to have dependable and fruitful friendships.

I used to whine to my husband about my not having friends. For a number of years, I'd lost the intimacy with many of my female friends. Then, last week, one of those women contacted me. She'd basically felt the same way and always wondered what caused the distance between us. It was such a light bulb/duh/omigosh moment. Once upon a time, we'd been bestfriends but had allowed life and time to create a gulf between us.

I'm blessed that I have a friend that would be so honest and open with me. But, I'm also blessed that she did not place all the blame at my feet. We both recognized our part in the distance (however large or small it was). Friendships, like any relationship, are a two way street. It takes two to make it work and two to mess it up. As for us, we're committed to being better friends to one another.

Proverbs 18:24 says that, "A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." This scripture reminds me to be proactive and continuously examine my role in my friendships (as opposed to my friends' roles). It also reminds me that during those times when I feel lonely and friendless, I still have Jesus in my heart. He's a friend that will never fail, faint, or neglect. He tells us that, He is with us always, even to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20). The song is true: There is not a friend like the lowly Jesus...No not one...No not one...

In the meantime, here's one of my favorite songs about the friend we have in Jesus!

Unity in the Body?

This week I've thought a lot about friendships and adversaries. Ironically, our Bible study lesson at church discussed loving our enemies. It led me to reflect upon my enemies. I realized that many of my past enemies have been other Christians. That blew my mind! So often in the Bible, we see our enemy referred to as Satan or his agents. But, practically, I believe many Christians' enemies are fellow believers in Christ.

This led me to wonder, why is it that Christians--who have the Holy Spirit inside them--can't get along with other Christians? Obviously, I recognize the easy answers: Different personalities, life experiences, and ways of viewing the world. But, we serve the God whose power is imminent and unfailing. We have the same spirit (Holy Spirit) inside of us and say we love the same God (Jesus Christ). Therefore, should His power and presence not have preeminence in our lives over the differences we have with other believers? Certainly, God is able to overcome our personality conflicts, opinions, and experiences, to draw us together in one faith and one love. The Bible teaches us this and I've lived it.

I don't believe that I have current enemies, but if we're being honest, there are several fellow Christians that get on my last good nerve (and I probably get on their's too)! I'd love to give them a good shake and tell them to stop being so fake and full of themselves. So, I'm challenged today to seek peace with my brothers and sisters...to pray for them and see them with eyes of grace--just as the Lord sees me. It's my prayer that those who see me as one of those nerve wracking Christians would do the same for me.

Matthew 5:43-48