Day 114 - Friend

Hopefully you have been as blessed with friends as I have. There are often different kinds of friends, or friends who touch different aspects of our lives. Some are temporary friends, and move on or move away and we lose contact. Some are very needy and want the relationship to go only one way.  Some are accessible and faithful all the time and through all kinds of trouble - like God.

A very special friend like that was CherylRae - not just to me but to many others.  A warm social and deeply spiritual woman, I marveled at the different people who touched different areas of her life. Some would bring the scripture she needed at just the right time, others could make her laugh and bring lighter moments as she endured years of cancer treatments and surgery; and others met various needs with their talents and skills while the trust that developed between her and these friends resulted in all being ministered to by CherylRae in as many different ways as her friends had ministered to her.

When I ponder my friendships I marvel at the array of personalities, skills and blessings that God has provided through these special people, and the trust or faith that 'tells' us to call a certain person when we have a need, or urges them to call me. Ohev is one word for friend that appears to mean 'one who loves'.

Jesus is a friend - Ohev - who also appreciates that trusting relationship from me, and, One who loves me like no other. Proverbs 18:24 tells of a friend who is "closer than a brother" and Luke 5:20 in the Complete Jewish Bible reads, "When Yeshua saw their trust, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven you." 

 Ken and I were both encouraged to increase the vegetables so tonight's dinner had parslied mashed cauliflower (1 head to 1 golden potato mashed together with parsley), green beans, carrots and a turkey burger.