13This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:12-13
Friendship is born of love, and love is born of sacrifice. In an era of Facebook and MySpace, friendship has become synonymous with acquaintance. I was taken aback a few years ago when I heard Fr. Larry Richards say that anyone who told you they had more than a handful of friends was lying. Now, perhaps Fr. Larry was exaggerating, perhaps not. The concept however, was not lost on me. Christ tells us that to live in his friendship, we must be willing to lay down our lives. We must be willing to sacrifice our desires, our will, perhaps even our lives. How many of your "friends" are you willing to do this for? How many of your Facebook "friends"?
I noticed recently that when you go to look at your friends on Facebook, they now call them "connections." This is, I believe, a better way to look at the many people in our lives. We are all very much connected, and Facebook is quite possibly the greatest examination of the six degrees of separation. However, I do not truly have 500+ friends, at least not in the way of Christian friendship. Would I go out of my way for many of them? Sure. Would I lay down my life for all of them? I have to admit I would not, as much as I would like to say yes.
When we call someone friend, how much are we willing to give up for them? Are we true friends? Do we count Christ as our friend? Scripture tells us he has chosen us as his...
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Friendship is born of love, and love is born of sacrifice. In an era of Facebook and MySpace, friendship has become synonymous with acquaintance. I was taken aback a few years ago when I heard Fr. Larry Richards say that anyone who told you they had more than a handful of friends was lying. Now, perhaps Fr. Larry was exaggerating, perhaps not. The concept however, was not lost on me. Christ tells us that to live in his friendship, we must be willing to lay down our lives. We must be willing to sacrifice our desires, our will, perhaps even our lives. How many of your "friends" are you willing to do this for? How many of your Facebook "friends"?
I noticed recently that when you go to look at your friends on Facebook, they now call them "connections." This is, I believe, a better way to look at the many people in our lives. We are all very much connected, and Facebook is quite possibly the greatest examination of the six degrees of separation. However, I do not truly have 500+ friends, at least not in the way of Christian friendship. Would I go out of my way for many of them? Sure. Would I lay down my life for all of them? I have to admit I would not, as much as I would like to say yes.
When we call someone friend, how much are we willing to give up for them? Are we true friends? Do we count Christ as our friend? Scripture tells us he has chosen us as his...
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