Meditation Monday - The Joy of Friendship

I am currently in Texas with my good friend Cheryl whom I first met 44 years ago when I joined the Mercy Ship M/V Anastasis. We try to get together at least once a year, usually with our mutual friend Ruth who unfortunately could not join us this time. I talked about this in my Substack live session on Saturday.

I am particularly grateful for the gift of friendship and the richness it has brought to my life. Cheryl and Ruth and I have shared many adventures, celebrations, laughter and grief together over the years. There is nothing like a good friendship that endures throughout our lives.

Several years ago when reflecting on our special friendship, Ecclesiastes 4:12 came to mind A cord of three strands is not easily broken. Every friendship is like a threefold cord. Sometimes like our friendship it involves three human strands. At other times it may only involve two people but always in the background there is that third strand of Christ’s presence that weaves together the other strands in love and companionship. Out of that reflection I wrote the poem I recited on Saturday but I thought some of you might life a copy so I am repeating it here:

A cord of three strands

Is not easily broken

And God has made us one.

As sisters we have walked the path,

Through seasons light and dark.

With joy and laughter we have shared,

The warmth of hearth and home.

United in the One,

Blessed by the Three.

Good and faithful friends we’ve found,

For life’s enduring days.

God does not intend any of us to travel alone. Friendship is one of the most precious and important gifts of life and hospitality. It is all around us waiting to be given and received, waiting to bless and to be a blessing. It doesn’t happen without effort however and every good friendship has its up and downs. The importance is perseverance and a willingness to forgive misunderstandings, celebrate others’ achievements and bless without expecting anything in return.

As I reflect on this today I am reminded that all good friendships begin with strangers coming together, sometimes in what seems like a random encounter. There is at every step of our journey the gift of strangers who have the potential to become friends. All strangers are friends waiting to happen. I know that not all friendships will grow into the depth of relationship that Cheryl and Ruth share, but they are important none the less. There is always giving and taking, guesting and hosting.

In my few days here in Texas I have had the opportunity to be both guest and host. Last night I cooked beef stroganoff for my friends - a celebration of our friendship over the years.

What is Your Response?

God offers all of us the hospitality of friends. Sit for a moment and think about your own encounters over the last few weeks:

Who are the friends you have shared hospitality with that have enriched your life and provided special memories? Sit in the stillness of the moment and savour those memories. Write about them in your journal. Offer prayers of gratitude to God for them. Is there a special response that God might ask you to make towards them?

Who are the strangers you have encountered that have enriched your life? In what ways did they provide hospitality for you? In what ways were you able to be their hosts? Savour these memories too. Journal about them. Offer prayers of gratitude to God. Is there a special response God is asking you to make?

Now read this prayer which I wrote as I considered the encounters I have had that have provided hospitality for me:

Unite us God Almighty,
Unite us with the threefold cord of friendship.
Unite us with the threefold cord of love.
In the name of the Creator,
In the name of the Son,
In the name of the Spirit,
Unite us with the Three,
Unite us with the One,
Unite us with the strands
That can never be broken.

Is there a prayer that bubbles up from within your heart too? Write it down and if you feel prompted share it with us as a comment on this post.