The Friend Who Sticks
I just got off the phone with a fairly new friend of mine. Our mutual friend was Peter, my dear friend who went home to be with the Lord recently. Peter told me about his friends, George and Carol, shortly after I met Peter. George was Peter's best and closest friend, and I can now see why.
George is one of those rare people you meet in life who chooses his friends carefully and then sticks by them through thick and thin. Without George (and his sweet wife, Carol), Peter's life would have been a lot more difficult than it was. Their friendship spanned over 20 years. It began when they met at a motorcycle shop where Peter was working on bikes, and it ended the day Peter slipped into heaven. There were years when they hardly saw one another, but that didn't sway their friendship. When Peter moved closer to George and his family, they rekindled the friendship.
George and Peter loved the same things, castles, history and motorcycles. One of their favorite past times was to take off for a day and explore castle ruins. Once they went on a castle hunting trip to Scotland on their motorcycles. After Peter's wife left him, George made sure that Peter never spent the Christmas holidays alone. He called him regularly and encouraged him to get out and do things. When Peter needed to talk, George was there for him. When Peter began to have problems brought on by his drinking, George and Carol intervened. They were at his side when he was in the hospital, and when he passed, they took on the responsibility of settling his estate.
Proverbs 18:24 says this, "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." As I chatted with George this evening and thought about his loyalty to Peter, I was reminded of Christ, the Ultimate Friend who stood by us and bore sins without complaint. He endures our constant unfaithfulness and pleads on our behalf before our Heavenly Father. Christ is that Friend who sticks closer than a brother.
George is one of those rare people you meet in life who chooses his friends carefully and then sticks by them through thick and thin. Without George (and his sweet wife, Carol), Peter's life would have been a lot more difficult than it was. Their friendship spanned over 20 years. It began when they met at a motorcycle shop where Peter was working on bikes, and it ended the day Peter slipped into heaven. There were years when they hardly saw one another, but that didn't sway their friendship. When Peter moved closer to George and his family, they rekindled the friendship.
George and Peter loved the same things, castles, history and motorcycles. One of their favorite past times was to take off for a day and explore castle ruins. Once they went on a castle hunting trip to Scotland on their motorcycles. After Peter's wife left him, George made sure that Peter never spent the Christmas holidays alone. He called him regularly and encouraged him to get out and do things. When Peter needed to talk, George was there for him. When Peter began to have problems brought on by his drinking, George and Carol intervened. They were at his side when he was in the hospital, and when he passed, they took on the responsibility of settling his estate.
Proverbs 18:24 says this, "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." As I chatted with George this evening and thought about his loyalty to Peter, I was reminded of Christ, the Ultimate Friend who stood by us and bore sins without complaint. He endures our constant unfaithfulness and pleads on our behalf before our Heavenly Father. Christ is that Friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Comments