At my church, we're in the middle of a 31-week series called "The Story.” A few weeks ago the sermon was on young David working in the court of King Saul. Saul's son Jonathan became best friends with David during this time and they grew to be as close as brothers. They were so inseparable, that the Bible says they were one in Spirit (1 Samuel 18:1). This is the kind of friendship that we might only experience once in a lifetime.
In my role as a technical director I often find myself as feeling like an island, isolated from others. I am by no means a recluse - I do get out to meet people and interact with society, but it can be difficult to create deep personal relationships with others. Tech people have a tendency to be misunderstood. I often have volunteers ask what my “real job” is when services are over, and parts of my extended family think I have subjected my wife and son to a life of poverty. Even the leaders at church have a hard time understanding what exactly the tech team does. This feeling of being on a deserted island is not how God designed us to operate. We are social beings who need interaction, and not just the superficial kind.
One of my favorite TV Shows is the West Wing. While it is no longer on TV, it lives on via the internet for me. A particular episode in season one constantly reminds me of the story of David and Jonathan. Martin Sheen portrays the president who is preparing to deliver his State of the Union address. Before the president leaves to deliver his address, he meets with The Agricultural Secretary who was chosen to stay at the White House to maintain order in the government in the event of a national emergency. The President ends the meeting (which outlines all emergency protocol) by asking if The Agricultural Secretary has a best friend, if that friend is smarter than him, and if he'd trust his life to that friend. After answering yes to all three questions, the president tells him to make that person his chief of staff (the president's right hand man and most trusted advisor.) This episode always makes me think: if my friend became president, would he consider me the kind of friend to appoint as his chief of staff? Would I be his Jonathan?
The Bible is chock full of friendships. Even Jesus showed us the benefit of having a close inner circle of friends - of the 12 disciples (and many others that followed him around) he had three men who were closer to him than any others. Mark 9 tells us that Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him up the mountain on his way to ascend into heaven. Jesus fully let these men into his life. If they had backyard BBQs in Bible times, these three guys would be the first ones over and the last to leave. They weren't just some guys Jesus knew or fair-weather friends looking for a handout. We see that Jesus poured into their lives and they, in turn, poured into his.
Proverbs 7:17 says "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another."
I recently read a blog post about a group of guys getting together each week, it wasn't a life group or a Bible study, it was simply a small group of men whose sole purpose of gathering was to care as much about the others personal, professional, and spiritual well being as they did their own. The writer went on to say that in the short time the group had been meeting, each man's life had changed for the better. This is how God wants us to interact with each other. He never meant for us to isolate ourselves.
Are you taking time to invest in a friendship that challenges you to go deeper? When was the last time you called up the production guy at the church down the road and had lunch? Romans 1:12 calls us to be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. Let someone on your island this week. Life will be much more pleasant there if you do.
