"Now it came about when he had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself." 1 Samuel 18:1
How would you define friendship? Well Google defines it as the state of being friends, with friend defined as a person with whom one has personal affection for. But what if I told you that friendship was designed to be much deeper than that? That it was intended to go beyond merely just liking someone? There is perhaps no greater model of friendship than that of King David and Jonathon. The Bible tells us that they were so close that they let nothing come between them, drawing closer together when their friendship was tested and were friends to the end. In fact, Jonathon loved David so much that it's said he "loved him as himself." But what does that mean exactly?
Last Saturday a group of my closest friends and I were blessed to run the Rise and Shine Half Marathon together. With a 9:00 a.m start, the course got very hot very quickly making for some hard running conditions. As is our custom, no matter how quickly we ourselves cross the finish line, we all remain until the last person finishes. And after more than three hours, with the heat index well over 90, there were still three runners out on the course. As we went looking for them and drove the route, we spotted the threesome-together as they had been from the beginning with one runner struggling but her friends unwilling to leave her side as they helped her along. And that is exactly what it means to be a friend and to love another as "yourself".
You see, the deepest and closest friendships are those based on a shared commitment to God... a vow to love our brothers and sisters the way Christ loves us, to never leave them or abandon them. This bond is what knits, or draws and holds, us together. Thomas Edison once wrote, "I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the world." Thank you Mr. Edison for those wise words but I have so much more... I have friends in running shorts that I wouldn't trade for anything in the universe.
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us friends in this life that help us persevere through the most trying times-those days or periods when we feel like giving up or don't think we can take another step. Help us to grow closer to you Lord that we might love others as ourselves and be the model of friendship that you have designed. Thank you for your friendship above all else Father. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
www.team413.org
With every act of Love - Jason Gray
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| Group photo before the race |
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| My daughter and one my dearest friends and running buddy |
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| As we gathered to pray before the race, we invited those around us to join and look at the circle! We prayed that God would be glorified in our actions on the course and that He would give us the strength we needed to finish. |
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| Nearing the end with one mile left to go. This is the picture of true friendship. This four hour journey was tough but, together, they persevered. |
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| We gave them the "tunnel of love" to welcome them across the finish line. I can't help but think that others were inspired as they too waited for our friends to finish and joined us in our celebration. |
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| Upon crossing the finish line, our sweet Sarah collapsed into a chair as we gathered around to pray healing over her and praise God for his faithfulness. |
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| And here we are! All done, feeling much better and with a new outlook on what friendship really is. I love this group of runners! |
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