Friendships For the Journey

Friendships For the Journey


Everybody has been in a life situation were they have found themselves lost or
heading in the wrong direction. What would it take to be convinced that turning around is
wise? More importantly, what would it take to actually be motivated enough to
do it? For An 81 year old Australian man by the name of Eric Steward it was his love of driving that sent him down the wrong path. He was staying with friends when he popped out to buy some milk.Taking a left when he should have gone right on the motorway, he ended up driving for nine hours in the wrong direction. He was finally pointed in the right direction by police authorities after stopping to refuel. In the mean time his wife had already contacted the police back at his home.The article did not make it clear why he did not turn around except that he was so determined, so focused, that he just kept going on the right road in the wrong direction.

Just like Eric Steward, strong willed, goal oriented Paul, in this week’s passage from Acts, was traveling full speed on the Damascus road in the wrong direction until God intervened. Paul had been using the earthly logic of Pharaisaic law concluding that the new followers of Christ posed a threat and needed to be stopped. He was carrying out this plan until Christ showed Paul the divine plan of his Father in heaven. Paul’s decision to go with God’s plan turned what once was Saul into Paul, a friend of God.


It was a divine set up, the Holy Spirit introduced Paul to Ananias in a vision, urging him to go, meet and minister to him. God called, Annaias responded with prayers for healing and then baptism, assisting in the spiritual birth of the brand new disciple. Most of us do not remember when we were baptized, as we were, unlike Paul,infants. During baptism God in Christ promises to be our God forever. Parents, godparents and the church, the communion of saints, promise to support us as we grow in the faith.When we are struggling to do what is right, facing temptation, making hard decisions, remembering who we are and whose we are will help with attitude and the
direction of our steps. “You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call
you servants any longer”, Jesus says,” because a servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends”. Isn't it amazing to consider that Christ thinks of all of his disciples as friends? We are his friends!


There are those who have stepped into our lives who have been influential, impactful or learning-oriented, like the people that Paul stayed with while regaining his strength, the very people he had originally intended to harm. Paul learned about his destructive past behavior and the impact it had had on the followers o the Way, the truth about Jesus, and then proclaimed that Christ truly was the son of God in the synagogues. Ananias and the other disciples in Damascus were no longer strangers, but brothers, and friends in the faith to Paul. The beauty of their friendship or any true grace filled relationship is that it brings to light what is hidden from view in a way that transforms. Receiving correction from those we trust, while not enjoyable, is necessary for growth in faithfulness and maturity in Christ. Proverbs reminds us that the wounds of a friend are faithful. The people who care about you the most have your best interest at heart.

Our true friends are ones we have granted the honor of transparency and truthfulness. It is before our friends that we lower the facade that we often present to others. We do not need to appear fully confident, competent and discerning of God's ways in the presence of our friends because they call us to consistency of character.We are able to share good news with a true friend without fear that they will think we are being prideful or arrogant. Our friends can listen to our doubts , fears and sadness without making us feel diminished as a person. Friends know that we are imperfect yet they remain loving loyal and steadfast in their relationship with us. It is a true experience of Christian grace.After Paul left Damascus he meditated alone for some months and then sought out Peter, chief of the disciples, to learn more about how Jesus had lived. Then Barnabas accepted and mentored Paul for nearly a decade. Later in Acts 18 life shaping friendships were recorded that developed between Paul and Priscilla, Aquilla, and Apollos. They were peers, sharing the work of the day, whether making tents or preaching the gospel. Paul also reached out in intentional friendship to those younger than he, such as,Timothy, Silas and Epaphroditus and Titus. Especially with Titus, Paul joins in ministry with, then comes to loves him, to be fed by him, depend on him and enjoy him. What a twenty first
century model for us to follow and grow into our ability to be friends and not merely colleagues or members with those at different stages of life than we.

Are we reaching back across generations to share the riches God has given us if we, like Paul, are in the second half of our lives? How can we all nurture friendships that allow us to see each day as holy and an opportunity to participate in something bigger than ourselves? Paul wound up becoming one of the greatest missionaries of all time and undertook three missionary journeys, gaining converts, and setting up churches.As a result of Paul's work, Christianity became a worldwide religion. It is important to remember that "The lasting mark of Paul’s conversion or ours for that matter is not one date circled in red on the calendar, but the whole story of one’s life."says Heidi A. Peterson, The Christian Century, 2001. Religion Online. The process of becoming Christian is not a one-day event,but rather an ongoing process. Paul had found and maintained true friends along the journey; friends that shaped, molded and supported his ministry. May we also find friends for the journey who call us to accountability and rich full lives in service to God and the great adventure of life in the Kingdom of God.