True friendship is self-sacrificial

“And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.” 1 Samuel 18:4 ESV

In a story published yesterday by RTE News titled, "Galway man runs coast to coast across US carrying friend's ashes," the following was reported: A Galway man has finished a coast-to-coast run across the US carrying the ashes of his friend who died unexpectedly last year. Ultra runner Richard Donovan ran 5,150km (3,200 miles) from Boston to his friend's home state of California in just over three months. On Sunday, the 56-year-old arrived at Santa Monica Pier and returned the ashes of Alvin Matthews to his mother Sara at the finishing line. Richard said: "It was important to return the ashes to Sara. It was something special and so emotional because we felt an unfairness when Alvin died last year after everything he had been through." This is Mr. Donovan's second transcontinental run of the US in support of his friend. In 2015, he ran from San Francisco to New York to fundraise for Mr. Matthews who was paralyzed following a spinal cord injury. Mr. Donovan said: "Alvin was an athlete, a runner. I wanted to get him involved with the running community again because there is a danger when something like that happens for someone to withdraw completely. We fundraised thousands of dollars for him." Richard later said, "When I finished I just felt so lucky. With a run like that, there are so many things that could go wrong. I ran through the heatwave in Kansas with strong head winds. That was tough. I had a lot of things thrown at me. But it was important to get Alvin's ashes to his mother. Let me put it this way. There was no way I was giving up." Wow right? What a story of friendship the way it was designed to be… self-sacrificial. 

And you know, when it comes to true friendship, which is one that puts the needs of a brother or sister above the needs of one’s self, the Bible tells us the story of Jonathan and David, two best friends who were willing to sacrifice everything for the good of the other. Jonathan even ”stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David” along with his military garb, thereby signifying that David, rather than himself, would one day be king of Israel. Jonathan submitted to God’s will, voluntarily surrendered his own right to the throne, and remained a true and trusted friend of David’s until the day he died. 

So knowing that true friendship requires first submitting yourself to God’s will and then putting the needs of others before your own, vow to be a godly friend to those people God has placed in your life. You’ll not only widen your support group but will be an example for others to follow. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that true friendship requires sacrifice and that it’s not a fair-weathered relationship that exists only when things are going well. Help us to follow the example of Jesus who displayed what it meant to be a friend by offering up his very life to those who had nothing in return to offer and were totally undeserving of his sacrifice. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!