Friends

What is sweeter than to hear one calling out to us as friend?

I love the greeting "friend". It makes us feel at ease, comfortable, and safe. When we hear someone call us "friend", we now everything will be all right.

For several years I have had the growing understanding of the power of friendship. It was an African that taught me the lesson. Everyone he met, he greeted as friend.

The greeting "friend" disarms us. We lay aside our mistrust and our concern when we know we are dealing with friends. This simple revelation proved to be a powerful point of contact for my South African friend. As I watched him in action, I saw the way people were touched by his familiar greeting with a smile, "friend".

On the heels of this simple revelation was the growing understanding that God wants us to be His friends. Jesus used the term frequently, and told his closest followers that he viewed them not as servants, but as his friends.

I wonder what would happen if we treated everyone as a friend?

Perhaps this would be a good day to start a noble experiment. Perhaps we could greet everyone as friends. Perhaps it would become a more happy and wonderful way of life.

Mark Van Deman
www.markvandeman.com