The Treasure of Friends

     Serious about pursuing treasure? Then you will be standing in lines very early in the morning. In fact, this is one time when that old saying, "the early bird gets the worm", is true - though hopefully you find something better than a worm once you are inside! It's in those lines that you have the opportunity to meet some interesting people. Over the years we have become friends with many of our fellow hunters. But wait, you say...aren't you all competing for the same things?

     Well, yes and no! I rarely look at books - but a friend is an expert. Depression glass, is sort of... depressing to me - very pretty but I can't wear it! However, another hunter friend's goal is to go home with a box full of those dishes! Over time we've gotten to know treasures others are hunting, and they've come to know my preoccupation with rhinestones!

     So we've exchanged phone numbers to alert each other when we find something the other collects. We share addresses of unmarked sales, and the names of dealers who might buy a treasure someone is selling. And we look out for each other - concerned when we don't see a regular at any of the sales that morning.

     No picture of sparkling rhinestones today! The treasure I want to share is friendship. We may not think we "need" other people, but life is richer - and sparkles more - when we have friends in our lives!

   

   
       In the book of Proverbs we read, "A friend loves at all times...", and "A man who has friends must himself be friendly..." (Proverbs 17:17, 18:24). Easy to follow instruction when times are good - like during this trip to Ireland with friends! But what about the hard times, days when you may not feel loving or friendly. Days when you don't feel loved, or befriended...

     For those days we need to remember love is not just a feeling - it is an act of obedience we are called to by God, and that our friendship is not something given conditionally- based upon what we are getting. Our great example of true friendship is Jesus Christ.

     Jesus told His disciples that there was no greater love than to lay down one's life for his friends. He did just that when He died on the cross and freed us from the sin that made us slaves. He loved them and us beyond our capability to understand. It is rare for us to find ourselves in a circumstance where we must give our life to show love for our friends. Many times, though, we are called on to give up our time, our resources, our busyness - the things we consider "our lives" to act in love and serve our friends.

     The willingness to give up these things is what Jesus expected when He commanded us to, "...love one another as I have loved you." And how did He love us? With a love so great He would lay down His life...