I have been having this issue about friend when I was very young and I remember asking God why does people need friends in the first place as they seems, only for a moment in our lives. Well, I still ask that question every now and then...
People says, you will only find out who is your true friends during your time of difficulties. True enough, during my most difficult times in life, I do know who are my friends and who are not. Some happen to just tell me they are not going to show me they do care even if they care. I can't make out what does that mean because just like the story of Good Samaritan in the Bible, are we suppose to be like the priest and the doctors? Nope, I am taught to be like the Samaritan who actually shown the love and care by action. I too have friends who dropped me messages saying they have been quiet not because they do not care, they do care, they told me. And I also cannot understand what does that mean...
Well, seriously... there are many people who have to visit my dad in the hospital. Everyday, there are quite a numbers of people. I remember having about 30 people at one time and the drs were angry and asked me to ask some of them to go out and take turn to come in. This is the 2nd month and... slowly, we get to know who are the real friends of my dad and the family. Some, they came and show face and just talk. Some only approached us when we happen to be seen by them in church and asked us how's dad? My uncles and aunties agreed that some people just called us and asked us "how's your Rev. Lin?" and "Is Rev Lin doing better already?". Some just asked and never shown they care.... neither do they help my mom and us in any way.... I remember mom told me this group of people who has only made small thing so big and only worries my mom at the end of the day.
We are thankful for true friends during this time really. I do have some friends who even though they cannot make it here to visit me, they called. And we are thankful for those who come every single visiting hours just to check on my dad, to help him with changing the plaster, taking care of the wounds, changing diapers, etc. Those, we call them, my dad's real good friends.
MV Hannah's Barnabas Pak shared on Sunday about friends. He said he was touched by what Archedeacon John addressed him as. Archedeacon John addressed him as 'his friend' and not pastor, missionaries or anything like that. He was called his friend and he said, we shouldn't take friendship lightly because when we are called by others as their friends, or we regards others as our friends, we must treat them better... we must love them more than what the Good Samaritan have loved.
I always take friendship seriously. I always take it too serious may be because I always get hurts by it at the end of the day. People told me, only those who gave in 100% will feel the hurts at the end and I am getting them every single time, more often than I can imagine. I am not sure if I should start categorise people as whether they are my friend or not.
I am quite shock to find out I have 600++ friends on my facebook. But how many are really my true friends? Are you? Or are you just like those which I mentioned above? During this time of trial, I really thankful for those who really show up, out of no where.... in being with me. Thank you.... I do, I seriously do, call you as my friend...
- You are my friend...! -
