Always Friends
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and
dearly loved,
clothe
yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Bear
with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one
another.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
(Colossians
3, 12-14; NIV)
Most of us have a problem with feeling like one of “God’s
chosen people”. The control freak in us wants to believe that we chose to
follow Him. That is ego-centric and introspective. We all know that we chase
Him until he catches us. In our lives, who are “God’s Chosen” and what do they
do?
This month is Thanksgiving and one of my traditions is to
do Christmas cards. Each card that gets addressed is to someone special. The
addressees have all played a part my life. Each in some way has been a friend,
advisor, mentor, coach etc. What a wonderful feeling it is to sit there and
think about each of them (you). Are they (you) God’s chosen people? They
are my saints!
Naming a few: there is a priest in the UK who included me
in his daily prayers during my cancer period, another is a Christian running
buddy of over twenty-five years duration, several former pastors who were
spiritual advisors… the list goes on. The holiday season is a great opportunity
to celebrate Christ’s birth and life. It also a chance to think of the many
people God has placed into our lives that have demonstrated to us “… compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness
and patience...”
Since 2012 my list of saints has
grown. Through God is My Spinach, the book and the blog, there are people in
135 countries sharing, loving and just being friends through Christ. If you are
reading this, you are a blessing to both June and I.
Thought for Today: This season let us simply think about our friends. Let us remember
why they are, who they are and what they mean to us.
Prayer for Today: Dear lord and Father, we have many blessings that you have given
to us. Among them are our friends and contacts. Each of them is in some way a
blessing. We offer our prayers for their
health and happiness and thank you for presenting them to us.
Amen