friendship

found this neat quote in an email from tan, one of those perennially forwarded FW: FW: FW emails...... i usually don't forward them myself (i hate chain mail style guilt tripping emails!~ lol), but this snippet caught my attention....

Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow.
Don't walk behind me, I may not lead.
Just walk beside me and be my friend.

it really speaks to me about what friendship is, and is not. it is so easy to get in front of someone and take the lead, and tell them what they should do... and it's easy to almost idolize friends, too. when in reality it is simply about two people walking side by side down the same path... of life.

even friends where one is christian and one is not... while we may not be walking down the same *eternal* path, we are both walking through this life.... mike even touched on it today in the message - we should not be pointing fingers what they are doing *wrong*, and separating ourselves from people who don't believe as we do... He wants us to walk side by side with them, loving them, being... their friend. not telling them what to do all the time (gee, should i raise my hand here?.... it's just too easy...) or how they don't measure up to Gods standards (gee, i don't!)... just being their friend.

....as we love them, the Love of God is what changes and heals and draws towards Him..... it's not us. as they see how God's power is at work in our lives, and the changes His love makes in us... that is what sparks a hunger, not so much being *told* they need Jesus.... i think sometimes we *over focus* on our role as leaders (priesthood of all believers) in the sense that we forget that leadership is being servant to all, and not so much *direction* or *instruction*.... it's true, we lead... but not by 'leading', but by loving and serving. being.... a friend.

Jesus Himself, in His leading of us, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, made Himself a servant... "7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."(phillippians 2) ...He became the Friend of sinners. He didn't come to judge them (just the opposite!)... or snub them for screwing up... or to look down on them from His seat of salvation... He came just... to be their Friend. to be *our* Friend. to point us in the direction He was going... toward the Father. even He wasn't the be all and end all (even tho He had - and is - the Answer!) ie: everything He did pointed to the Father, not Himself. we know the Father's love because we know Jesus' love... not of *telling* so much (who He told off the most was the legalistic religious pharisees of the day!) but by living it every day in His own life and walk... and loving us so much He died for us while we were yet sinners... unconverted... unchristian.... walking in the world just like our friends.

if this is a bit disjointed, sorry... i'm just writing as i'm hashing it out in my head and my heart... thinking on paper, you could say...(er, virtual paper, i guess!)