Friends #3

I have been working through the acrostic that I developed for the word Friends. F I said stood for friends fellowshipping or spending time together. R - Friends reach out to each other. Now I would like to consider the fact the I refers to the fact that friends identify with each other.

When I think of the fact that friends identify with each other I mean exactly that, that is friends are not ashamed to associate with each other or admit that another person is someone they count as a friend. This is where you will see some of the other aspects of my defining a friend may over lap as the fact is that if we are to identify with each other we will want to spend time with each other.

If you were to attend a morning service at Barrhead Alliance Church in Barrhead, Alberta you may find several of my care group sitting together in the southwest back corner of the sanctuary. Some may think we sit there because of small children as a couple of families in my care group indeed do have small children but then again I am single and some of the others in my care group have teens in their family unit. I tend to think that we sit in that corner because we like to sit with each other as many times after the service we will spend a few minutes chatting together. I admit there are times I want to get home quick but other times I enjoy just chatting with my friends there and building relationships.

You may also come to a care group meeting on Monday nights and find us laughing, praying and studying together. We listen to each other and give each other opportunity to express what we are thinking on a certain topic. I believe this too is an example of identifying with each other as friends as we want to get to know each other on a deeper level than just shallow knowledge.

Jesus Christ, as our ultimate Friend also wants us to identify with Him and wants us to get to know Him more. He told his disciples that he no longer called his disciples mere servants but friends as they followed and did what He said (John 15:15). As we seeks to follow Him we identify with Him. In a lesser way as we get to know and spend time with those around us and care for them and identify with them we become greater friends. Thus friends identify with each other.