I'm much slower to consider people "friends" than I used to be. New folks get parked in "acquaintance" or "buddy" status for quite a while. Friendship is a Big Flipping Deal to me. I don't take that type of intimacy lightly. Heck-- I've never rushed into ANY kind of intimacy. Good friends are, as a wise woman observed to me this evening, the ones who make us feel known. It's hard to get more personal than that with our clothes on (and truthfully, sometimes we're not that personal with them off).
I believe I'm called to love everyone, but that doesn't mean I'm called to be everyone's friend. There are obligations to friendship (many of which I shirk to an embarrassing extent) that we don't owe everyone, though we do owe respect and kindness.
It's nice to notice that this week holds both old friends and people I think are becoming new ones.
I'm praying with gratitude for both old and new friends-- but I'm also holding in prayer people I'm committed to loving without being friends. I'll be asking God to guide my judgment and actions in all kinds of relationships. (As always, I'd be grateful for your prayers in that, too.)
Are there people on your mind as you pray this week? Would you like me to pray with you?
Meditation on This Week's Gospel
23 hours ago
This was lovely. So nice. As an educator I often tire of hearing other educators tell students,"be friends," "let's all be friends." I always say to them, "are you friends with all the other teachers?" They just stare at me.
ReplyDeleteI can't be friends with everyone. There is not enough time in the day or year! However, I can love everyone as a child of God and try, try, try everyday to treat everyone with respect.
Di, my dear friend, peace be with you.
Anne
Di, just knowing that you consider me a snark Guru is enough. and Anne, I too am a teacher, who has occasionally been stared at in such a way.
ReplyDeleteWell put, I myself try too hard to be everyone's friend and then find I don't have enough time to meet their needs, let alone my own. I think I need to accept more acquaintance type relationships rather than "friends". :-)
ReplyDeleteAnne, that's really wise. And I'm thrilled by your friendship.
ReplyDeleteStratoz, I have NO IDEA what to do with you a good part of the time, but I'm honored by knowing you.
And Mind, I think it's really, really hard sometimes to discern how to spend (or not spend) our energy. (Is it OK for me to hold your discernment in prayer?)