Friends

The other evening we had an impromptu dinner on the patio with a couple who are great friends of ours. What is a bit unique, is that she and I are great friends, my husband and hers are great friends, and as couples we are great friends. It is rare for us to have another couple where the friendships are so well-rounded out.

It gave me a bit of pause over the past several days to think about friendships and not just Facebook friendships. Many of my friends, and especially my Facebook friends, are really more acquaintances because I’ve not spent enough time to really develop a friendship.  That happens for a variety of reasons including distance. I know about them but I don’t really know them.

The people that I would categorize as 2-o’clock-in-the-morning friends are fairly rare. Even for those people who have large crowds of folks that they hang out with, go places with, and so forth, someone that you would call and would be allowed to call at 2 in the morning for an emergency is a gift.

Those kinds of friendships provide safe space and lots of grace. They see you at your very worst physically, emotionally, and mentally, and love you anyway. They are chosen family.

Some of my daily readings present challenges to know God, not just know about Him. To be a friend of God like Moses and David, not just a procurement agency for the latest answer to prayer. That’s tough to think about. When I look at my earthly friendships, there is a give and take, an ebb and flow, between us that is ongoing. There is some sort of equal-ness or equal footing from which we interact. Some days I get much needed advice, counsel, and comfort, and other days I give it. Some days we just hang out together.

I have a great deal of difficulty figuring out how friendship can occur with God. At some level it also feels a bit too familiar to seek friendship from God. I’m pretty sure my advice and counsel would be presumptuous. Hello, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. All-knowing. Can’t be surprised.

So what does friendship with God look like? I believe I need to take a look at the examples of Moses and David and others in the Bible. The best I think I can do, is to seek, ask, knock, and let Him show me what it looks like. Respectfully of course.  Grin.