Recently I’ve had dozens of long talks with various friends of mine who seem scattered all over the country. Some I haven’t talked to in many years and lo and behold I get a call from one almost on a weekly basis. I’ve also called a few myself as the Lord put them on my heart, but most just came out of the blue and were initiated by them. Many of the calls were over an hour or more long. It was great to talk to them and laugh about the good times we’ve had together.
For some reason many of my good friends are in their early forties. I’m almost twice their age and yet they take time out of their busy schedules to call me just to talk for a while. Almost all of them told me that I had been the single most positive influence in their lives.
I’m not a crier but that was very moving. Especially when they called to check on me for my recent health scares. I’ve also received many calls from older friends which were quite inspiring too.
Oddly, some of my best friends in the area in which I now live are youngsters. One of my best friends is 28. I want to join a men’s group at church but if I tell them how old I am they want to put me in the same class as a bunch of old codgers with more health problems than Bayer has aspirin and if you don’t come in with a walker you are an oddity. I told my wife I was tempted to lie about my age to avoid those types of classes but felt gaining entrance from a lie was not such a good idea for attending church.
I am very active, and I enjoy many things in life and love a good project to work on. A project to some of them is watching Days of our Lives.
I was thinking this morning about various friends calling me and saying nice things and I cannot help but wonder why. I’ve concluded that I listen to them and treat them as I would my wife or one of my own children. I especially like to give them advice and try to help them grow their businesses and finance and in general try to help them succeed at everything they do, especially building character. I think one advantage of having a white head is older folks have gleaned a lifetime of experience that can be passed on. In my case I’ve made every mistake in the book but overcame obstacle after obstacle and can warn them about making those mistakes and help them overcome the obstacles in their lives. I use the Bible to help mentor my friends whether they are a Christian or not and many young and old have come to know the Lord due to my taking time with them. To me this is the single most rewarding and important thing I could ever hope to do.
I write all this today to say if you don’t have any/many friends then change that. The Bible tells us that we need them. I cannot adequately express how much those calls mean to me and I’m pretty sure they mean a lot to them or they wouldn’t call. If you have wisdom then take the time to help those who are just getting started.
How can you have more friends?
Proverbs 18:24
A man who has friends must himself be friendly . . .