Michele Catanese — Spiritual Direction
  • Home
  • About Me
    • Testimonials
  • What is Spiritual Direction?
  • Events
    • The Beauty of Holiness
    • New Testament Seminar
    • Old Testament Seminar
    • Spirituality Seminar Content
    • Prayer Styles Seminar
    • Holiness and the Saints
    • Other programs
  • Michele's Blog
  • Links
  • Michele's Book Corner
    • Books about Prayer
    • Books on Saints
    • Books on Iconography
    • Literature

A Faithful Friend is Beyond Price

8/31/2012

 
One of the greatest gifts from God which we have in this life is the gift of friendship. This gift is one of the clearest ways in which God shares His love for us and it is a gift beyond price. If we think of some of the best experiences of our lives, they often involve a friend which whom we shared time, a laugh, a meal, and/or an adventure. Sometimes that which stands out in our remembrance is a situation that was challenging, in which the love of friends helped us to weather the storm.

The Scriptures are full of stories of great friendships, the greatest of which is our friendship with God. All friendships are modeled on the covenant of love which God has with His people. From the beginning of Genesis we see that God created everything solely out of love for us. In many places in the Scriptures it is obvious that we are "the apple of His eye", the center of His every thought. (This is a reference to Deut. 32:10: "He shielded them and cared for them, guarding them as the apple of his eye.") He made everything for us, gift upon gift upon gift. He gave us freedom, which is one of the greatest gifts of love He could have given us because He knew we could abuse it. But love is not love without freedom; without freedom our relationship would be one of slave to a master. Rather, because God is love, He gave us the relationship of friendship with Him. No greater friend could you or I ever find!!

One of my favorite examples of friendship in the Bible is one I mention frequently. In Exodus 33 Moses reminded God that He had called him "my intimate friend" and then God proceeded to give Moses what he asked. God passed by, showing Moses His back and pronouncing His very name. That is indeed a gift of intimacy and deep friendship. The other story that I love which really shows God's understanding of friendship is the story in 1 Kings 19 in which Elijah was nearly beaten down by his enemies and was tired almost unto death by the work he had done for the Lord. God helped Elijah to come into His presence on Mt. Horeb and then approached him with the tenderness of an understanding friend. Elijah needed gentleness and a lot of TLC. Therefore, instead of coming in the bombast with which we are accustomed to seeing up to that point in the Scriptures, God approached Elijah in a small whispering sound. And further, God heeded Elijah's request and gave him a companion on the journey: Elisha, a friend!

And who could forget the incredible friendship of David and Jonathan? Jonathan was the oldest son of David's king, Saul. David had a confusing relationship with Saul due to Saul's madness, yet Jonathan loved David despite the things Saul said about him. In 1 Samuel 18:1 it says: "Jonathan had become as fond of David as if his life depended on him; he loved him as he loved himself." In the most famous scene of all, (1 Sam 20) Jonathan defied his father to protect David from Saul's wrath. Jonathan warned David of Saul's intentions to kill him and thus saved David's life, but in doing so Jonathan knew they would never see each other again. That was an incredible sacrifice for a friend he loved like a brother.

In the Book of Sirach, (6:5-17) we find a beautiful description of friendship, what it is not, and what it is. True friendship is described as this:
"A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter;
he (she) who finds one finds a treasure.
A faithful friend is beyond price,
no sum can balance his (her) worth.
A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy,
such as the one who fears God finds;
For he (she) who fears God behaves accordingly,
and his (her) friend will be like himself."

In the New Testament there are many references to friendship because we have the friendship of Jesus. He calls His disciples "friend" over and over again, culminating in His statement that there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for a friend, (John15:13). He not only said this, but He followed through: His death and resurrection were the ultimate act of friendship for each and every one of us. Furthermore, that friendship will continue until the end of time and beyond. We have a never ending friendship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

One of the best ways this friendship with God continues is through the friends He gives us throughout our lifetime. Our friends can often be closer to us than our relatives. And sometimes our relatives are our closest friends. Indeed for those of us who are married, our spouses are our best friends. If we have true friends in addition to that we are doubly blest! Our friends are those people with whom we share our deepest thoughts, our laughter (and lots of it), our fears, our pain, our dreams, and our sorrows on a continual basis. They are the ones who know us fully... and still love us, "warts and all." They are the ones who, even if many miles and a lot of years have separated us from being together, when we are back in each other's presence it seems like hardly a day has gone by. A friend is one we trust so much that even when they say the difficult things we need to hear, we know it is said in love and we take it to heart without offense. Friends desire what is best for us, and we can trust them with anything and everything. Our friends are God's way of saying, "I love you" to us. And they say it in so many ways.

Today let us be grateful for the gift of the friends God has given us. If you have not told your friends just how much they mean to you lately, do so today. And if you have not told God lately how much your friends mean to you, do so today also. In addition, take the time to realize that you are friend to someone (or many) and to that someone, you are a great gift. It is important for each of to realize that small gestures of friendship can mean a lot to others, and that we are God's way of telling them that they are loved. Friendship is a two way street, so we need to be grateful for our friends, and acknowledge that we are part of God's message to them as well.

May we be filled with gratitude for God's friendship, the friendship from which all other friendships flow. May we be filled with gratitude for all the signs of His friendship with us. May we be filled with the courage to be a friend to those who are in need of it, especially the lonely, the elderly, the ill, the poor, and the outcast. And may we be filled with the love and laughter of those with whom we celebrate the gift of life continually, the dearest friends whom He has given. Let us continue to meet in the Heart of our dear Friend and Lord, Jesus. Peace!
Elise
8/31/2012 01:48:45 pm

Thank you, my friend, for your love, encouragement and understanding all these years. Thank you for supporting in my quest for a deeper friendship with our Lord. Thank you for sharing yourself in so many lovely ways as well as your talents. Love, Elise

Sean
9/2/2012 02:44:34 pm

Beautiful!

David
9/6/2012 08:47:55 am

Michele, What a truly beautiful reflection. Thanks

Dwight
9/6/2012 01:42:11 pm

Michele,
My best friend and I are blessed to have friends like you and your best friend!


Comments are closed.
    Picture

    Heart Speaks to Heart
    (Cor ad Cor Loquitor)
    From the fullness of
    the heart the mouth speaks.
    (Luke 6:45)

    RSS Feed

    You can use the RSS Feed button to add the blog to your favorite reader software. Click on the button above to subscribe.
    Picture

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012

    Picture
  • Home
  • About Me
    • Testimonials
  • What is Spiritual Direction?
  • Events
    • The Beauty of Holiness
    • New Testament Seminar
    • Old Testament Seminar
    • Spirituality Seminar Content
    • Prayer Styles Seminar
    • Holiness and the Saints
    • Other programs
  • Michele's Blog
  • Links
  • Michele's Book Corner
    • Books about Prayer
    • Books on Saints
    • Books on Iconography
    • Literature