Everybody needs a "Steve"

Steve called me the other day. He was praying for me, was concerned about me and so he called and we talked. We strategized together, we lamented for a while, we had a couple of mutual discoveries. It was a great conversation. He knows me, my struggles, my victories.

I've told stories about Steve many times. He tells stories about me. But only to illustrate our friendship. He's my best friend. This relationship is built on a lot of things: our mutual love of Christ, our vocation, our commitment to family, our commitment to one another, our need for accountability, our need for someone besides our spouses to share our hearts with. He's someone I am totally committed to as a friend and he's committed to me.

A Best Friend is one of the most important relationships we can ever have. This is the one person whom you can tell absolutely anything and everything and they won't judge you, or hate you. This friend sticks by you no matter what. Even to break confidence, or to act out against them doesn't matter. They are there with unconditional love and grace. That's what best friends do.

When Steve's successful, I cheer. When he fails, I lift him up. When he's crying, I cry with him. When someone's against him, I stand up for him. We watch out for each other. Our friendship is like that of Jonathan and David as illustrated 1 Samuel 18-21.

"[Jonathan] became totally committed to David. From that point on he would be David's number one advocate and friend." (1 Samuel 18:1c, The Message)

I love the idea that real friendships last because we make them last. It's intentional to have friends. It takes intentionality to keep them. Best friendships have a lot in common with marriage, the intentionality it takes to make it work, commitment, humility, honesty and unconditional love. (I'm sure there are more.) It's when I'm not as intentional about these relationships that they are strained, when I take them for granted, when we don't talk, when we keep secrets, or harbor ill-will.

Steve for me is like what I read that a child once said, he's "Jesus with skin on." I love Christ. I depend on him every day. He embraces me when I need it and it warms my heart. But some days I need a deeper hug, one that I can feel not only with my heart, but also with my ribs. I need a real, present representative of Jesus. So our relationship has become divine in a mysterious way, it's holy, set apart. In God's wisdom, Christian friendships become for us a Christ-sharing, that present, physical Jesus.

We all need a "Steve" in our lives, a Jesus with skin and big bear hugs.

I thank God for mine every day.

You should, too.

Peace ><>
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