My Run in the Rain Friend
Every time I run, I'm joined by my beloved dog, Kip. He never misses a chance to tear through the woods, chasing and barking and running and protecting me from squirrels and chipmunks.
But I remember a downpour of a day a few years ago. It was one of those rainy days that just wouldn't stop. When I stepped out the door at 3:00 to run, Kip was as dry as a bone. He had successfully been in his house on the porch all day. Obviously, the dog knows enough to stay out of the rain.
Until he saw me.
He started jumping, excitedly, all around me. I completely expected him to stay in his house, pretending not to hear me put on my running shoes, hoping I didn't call him to join me in 4 miles of misery.
NOT A CHANCE.
He was willing to run in the rain for me. And not just willing; happy.
And as I pondered this thought, I considered how many friends I have who would, not literally but spiritually and emotionally and socially, run in the rain for me. I could tell you their names: Holly, Tara, Mandy, Angela, Judith, Tonya, and more. But I'd rather describe them for you:
A stay-up-all-night friend.
A drop-what-I'm-doing friend.
A yes-you-can-have-that friend.
A I-have-been-there-and-you-are-not-crazy friend.
A bring-your-whole-family-to-my-house-because-your-power-is-out friend.
A let-me-bring-y'all-a-meal friend.
Bear with me for a minute when I tell you how friendships change as you get old like me. When you're in high school, there is often NOTHING more important than your friends. Seriously. They mean the world to you. But you go your separate ways, get married, move, settle down, start a family, get a job...and friendships are miles from where they were 10 years before.
Don't get me wrong; you love your friends. But grown-up friendships are different from high school friendships. And that's okay.
But you find as you walk through life that, though you may not have AS MANY friends, they MEAN MORE. You go out of your way to have coffee. You understand when she can't talk. You pray when you get a funny feeling when you get a hurried text.
And when it all shakes out, you know who will run in the rain with you. Not because they MUST. But because they WANT to.
Though the word "friend" appears 70 times in the Bible and "friends" 91 times, there is one verse that stands out to most people: Proverbs 17:17 says, "A friend loves at all times." But that's not where the verse stops. It goes on to say, "and a brother is born for adversity" (AMP)
"and a brother is proved in distress" (DRA)
"they are there to help when trouble comes" (NIRV)
The VOICE translation says it all like this: "A true friend loves regardless of the situation, and a real brother exists to share the tough times."
That's a real friend: one who is there for you in trouble. Who isn't afraid of your ugly, your broken, your hurt, or your crazy.
If you have one of those run-in-the-rain friends, will you call her and tell her how awesome she is? If you don't, ask God to lead you to one. He loves to bless His children with delightful blessings that edify us and glorify Him.
Back to Kip: he ran with me for almost an hour. It POURED on us the whole time. We were both completely soaked when we finished. We were muddy, sloppy, and deliriously delighted.
@leslienotebook
myleslienotebook@gmail.com
But I remember a downpour of a day a few years ago. It was one of those rainy days that just wouldn't stop. When I stepped out the door at 3:00 to run, Kip was as dry as a bone. He had successfully been in his house on the porch all day. Obviously, the dog knows enough to stay out of the rain.
Until he saw me.
He started jumping, excitedly, all around me. I completely expected him to stay in his house, pretending not to hear me put on my running shoes, hoping I didn't call him to join me in 4 miles of misery.
NOT A CHANCE.
He was willing to run in the rain for me. And not just willing; happy.
And as I pondered this thought, I considered how many friends I have who would, not literally but spiritually and emotionally and socially, run in the rain for me. I could tell you their names: Holly, Tara, Mandy, Angela, Judith, Tonya, and more. But I'd rather describe them for you:
A stay-up-all-night friend.
A drop-what-I'm-doing friend.
A yes-you-can-have-that friend.
A I-have-been-there-and-you-are-not-crazy friend.
A bring-your-whole-family-to-my-house-because-your-power-is-out friend.
A let-me-bring-y'all-a-meal friend.
Bear with me for a minute when I tell you how friendships change as you get old like me. When you're in high school, there is often NOTHING more important than your friends. Seriously. They mean the world to you. But you go your separate ways, get married, move, settle down, start a family, get a job...and friendships are miles from where they were 10 years before.
Don't get me wrong; you love your friends. But grown-up friendships are different from high school friendships. And that's okay.
But you find as you walk through life that, though you may not have AS MANY friends, they MEAN MORE. You go out of your way to have coffee. You understand when she can't talk. You pray when you get a funny feeling when you get a hurried text.
And when it all shakes out, you know who will run in the rain with you. Not because they MUST. But because they WANT to.
Though the word "friend" appears 70 times in the Bible and "friends" 91 times, there is one verse that stands out to most people: Proverbs 17:17 says, "A friend loves at all times." But that's not where the verse stops. It goes on to say, "and a brother is born for adversity" (AMP)
"and a brother is proved in distress" (DRA)
"they are there to help when trouble comes" (NIRV)
The VOICE translation says it all like this: "A true friend loves regardless of the situation, and a real brother exists to share the tough times."
That's a real friend: one who is there for you in trouble. Who isn't afraid of your ugly, your broken, your hurt, or your crazy.
If you have one of those run-in-the-rain friends, will you call her and tell her how awesome she is? If you don't, ask God to lead you to one. He loves to bless His children with delightful blessings that edify us and glorify Him.
Back to Kip: he ran with me for almost an hour. It POURED on us the whole time. We were both completely soaked when we finished. We were muddy, sloppy, and deliriously delighted.
@leslienotebook
myleslienotebook@gmail.com
Comments
Post a Comment