Why God gave us friends
"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!" Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
The reason we race isn't so much to beat eachother....but to be with eachother.-Christopher McDougall, Runners World
One of my favorite things about running races is meeting up with old friends and making new ones. It's such a pleasure to be among people that share the same love of running as I do. We talk about training plans, goals, injuries and any and all things running related. We also talk about our lives, our families and our faith. Running alongside someone has a way of eliminating pretenses and cutting to the core of a person's personality and heart. Fellowship within a runners group of friends is an amazing thing and a gift I treasure. And something I'm thankful for every day.
(by Barbara Burrow)
... Then in His wisdom,
God looked down the corridors of Time and foresaw the special needs of human hearts.
He saw how often we would need someone to share our inner thoughts and motives..
someone who hears not merely the words we speak, but our deeper feelings, for which there are no words..
someone who knows the worth of silence and listens without judging.
That's why God gave us friends.
He saw that sometimes we would need relief from the frantic pace of competitive living ..
someone with whom we could drop all pretense,
who will love us, not for what we may one day become, but for what we are right now..
someone who will close his eyes to our human frailties and see only that which is good in us.
He knew our hearts would sometimes be burdened with sorrow and disappointment ..
and that we would need someone who knows just when to speak and when to stand silently by,
giving us strength and comfort by simply being near.
That's why God gave us friends.
He saw that there would be times when we would become tired and discouraged ..
and would need someone to encourage us to reach our highest potential..
someone to cheer us on and bring us face-to-face with our better selves.
He saw that there would be times when we would stumble and fall ..
and would need someone to help pick ourselves up and try again..
someone who would teach us to laugh at our mistakes
and help us find the rainbow after the rain.
That's why God gave us friends.
God saw that we would sometimes have to take a lonely stand because of our convictions and we would need someone to support us when we're pursuing a dream ..
someone to humor us when we're impractical
and to stand beside us when we champion a cause.
He knew our hearts would sometimes burst with joy that must be shared
and that we would need someone to praise us for our accomplishments and rejoice with us in good fortune ..
someone to increase our awareness of the beautiful in life.
He foresaw our strengths, weaknesses - our dreams and longings.
and so God gave us friends, that we on earth might have a glimpse of the joy of heaven.
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us the gift of friendship. We pray you bless these relationships and that we lift one another up in prayer and encouragement. I pray that through our friendships, we grow closer to you. In your precious name we pray Jesus, Amen.
Happy Running!!!
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