MANY of us would agree that a genuine friendship consists not only in shared moments of joy and fun but also in loving support given in sad situations.
This has been true in my experience. After developing a long-lasting friendship with my former chorister, I moved out of the country for many years. But when we met again, our love for each other was solid and still comforting, and has remained so.
One thing about friendship that I love most is a family kind of support, especially during trying times.
A dear friend was diagnosed with a dreaded disease. At first he thought that God did not love him, and with guilty feelings about past mistakes, he felt that he was being punished.
As I listened to my friend, I quietly prayed. I have to admit that emotionally I felt so sad about his situation, but I continued to listen to Love (another name for God). Then, a quotation from the Holy Bible came so clearly: “And God saw everything that he had made and behold it was very good (Genesis 1: 31).
With this truth, I felt so peaceful. I smiled to my friend and said, “God is so good!” We said goodbye, but we continued to communicate through emails and text messages. Most of the time he shared what he needed daily, and in my own way I tried to help. But I had to stick to the truth that my friend is a child of God, thus deserving a life free from hate and fear.
Then during one visit, he happily shared that in a recent church service he attended, the priest said, “God is not the cause of any sickness!” My friend said he was amazed to hear such comforting words and felt relieved of guilt and hate. I felt so happy. I remembered a quote from Mary Baker Eddy, a revolutionary Christian reformer and the founder and discoverer of Christian Science. In her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures she writes, “Christian Science reveals God, not as the author of sin, sickness, and death, but as divine Principle, Supreme Being, Mind, exempt from all evil.” (p. 127: 16-19).
As we all experience the love of God in all aspects of our lives, it is truly worthwhile to understand that our loving God is the source of only good. This goodness includes harmonious disposition, patience in tribulation, and leaning totally on God to supply infinite possibilities and fresh ideas in whatever stage of life we are presently in.
As my friend and I rejoiced in his freedom from fear and hate, we both agreed to live life to the fullest. We also affirmed that in loving ourselves, we need to let go of any pain from the past and continue to love our neighbors unselfishly.
My friend and I still see each other from time to time. Recently, he said, “Life is so good!”
He is now more interested in talking about his favorite sports and finds more time to love his family. He insists that the goodness of God is dwelling in him and everyone.
What is true friendship, then? It is a coming together to witness God’s immeasurable love to everyone no matter what religion, race, age, or physical situation an individual is in.
God truly loves us all!
(Do you have any comments or remarks on this article, please feel free to email Rodolfo Jerome Lacusong, a Christian Science practitioner at philippines@compub.org or on tweeter @ALacusong)