Wise Friendships

So, last weekend we had the opportunity to get out of the city and find some peace and quiet.  We went to some cabins in Oklahoma with our best friends, Wendy and Stacy.  I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful our weekend was!  There were so many things that I tossed around when thinking of writing this post.  When you are surrounded by nature it is easy to come up with topics! Wendy and I even talked through some possible posts, but none of them felt perfect.  When I thought about the best parts of our weekend one of the things that stood out was Wendy and Stacy. We have been close friends with them for a long time and for a while spent every Saturday night together.  These days, our kids activities seems to keep us from doing that as much.  My mom even asked a few weeks ago if we had seen the Bryant's lately and I told her no, but as sad as it made me, it was okay.  And it is, because we are the kind of friends that it doesn't matter how long we are apart, we pick up right where we left off.  This weekend we talked about our kids, watched movies, played Joker by the fire, roasted marshmallows, went hiking, cooked dinners together, cleaned the kitchen together, played washers, even watched TV church on Sunday morning... the things that all good friends do right?!.  Corey and I treasure Wendy and Stacy more than words can express!  They can complete our sentences, and often know what we are thinking without us saying anything.  (Corey and Stacy swear that is how they beat us at Joker so often! well, that and their rally hats) They are spiritually grounded and put God first in their family, just as we do.  Many nights are spent discussing life, the Bible, our spiritual journeys, our kid's spirituality. What better friends could you ask for? 
The fact is God wants us to surround ourselves with friends like these.  He wants us to spend time with people who are a positive influence and can hold us accountable.  In Proverbs it says, "Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety" and then later it says, "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another".  Jesus had friends like this too.  He spent lots of time with his disciples, but it seems like he was super close with James, John, and Peter.  They all spent time together fishing, talking, traveling, praying, and sharing the gospel.  I like to imagine Jesus having happy times with his friends, just like we do...just relaxing and hanging out.  Talking about important things, and not so important things. 
The fact is relationships with others is what makes life fun isn' it?  Who do you go to when you are stressed?  Who do you call to go have coffee after a long day?  Who do you call to tell the funny thing that happened to you today?  It's your friends!  Fortunately for Corey and I, our best friends are married to each other, so we have sort of a circle of friends.  There is a quote by CS Lewis that says, "The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are".  I think that based on the verses about friendship in the Bible, Jesus would agree with Mr. Lewis on this one.  There is a big emphasis in the Bible about being wise and how it is related to the friends that we have.  Now, obviously you have to have relationships with people who have little to no spiritual foundation because you have been called to witness. And while that is true, you need to make sure that you are surrounding yourself with friends who do have a solid foundation in order to continue to be wise.  Based on what was shared at the desserts meeting last week, I would say that our class has the "circle" that is referenced in Lewis' quote.  We all spend a lot of time together, our kids spend a lot of time together, and we all have contact throughout the week with each other.  It felt so amazing to sit in that meeting and listen to everyone share their feelings about our class, new and old members.  repeatedly, the idea of us all being a family, willing to do anything for each other was expressed.  Those kinds of friendships are what we all need. It's Biblical!  So, we are going in the right direction, but this week think about who your go-to friends are.  Are they the ones that will make you wise?  Are they the ones God would choose for you?   
Thank you Lord for all of our Christian friends that help us to be wise.  Thank you for a circle of friends called Journey, who are known by so many to love, support and encourage each other in any given circumstance.  Thank you for Wendy and Stacy and for what they mean to us.  I give you praise for being able to perfectly match us with such loving, wonderful friends, who know you and put you first in their lives.  Thank you for allowing us to spend time together and for the memories we make with each other.  May we always be able to support each other and be encouragers to each other and those around us. Amen.