The Daily Ricky

A DEAR FRIEND


I have a unique friend, I met him while I was preaching at his church in 1974. I was only 16.

When I first met him, my first impression was; What a weird person.

We all make first impressions, good or bad. Thank God we get to know people better.

I was in college in Lakeland, FL, it was 1978 and I had just purchased a book called Pilgrim’s Regress by C. S. Lewis.

One Saturday, I had off from work and school, I picked up the book to read. The first ten pages or so were boring, so I threw it down.

It wasn’t that the book was bad, I just did not preserve through.

Later after college, I picked it back up and made myself read the book. It so happens, that it was one of the best books I’ve ever read.

Friendship is like that. I had to persevere with my friend and he me, now we are the best of friends.

Friendship is like that book, it had to grow on me and I had to be in the right place to receive.

In many of my friendships, I’m sure that many people’s first impressions of me were wrong but, after a time I begin to wear on them and they got into a better place

A guideline I use is this, I try and see them as Jesus would and hope they look at me in the same light.

In doing so with my friend, I see a man who truly has a heart of the Father, he is the most trustworthy person I have ever known.

If I had not persevered with that book, I would have missed out on the best book I’ve ever read.

We must also persevere in relationships, who knows you maybe missing out on the best one yet!

Lord, help us all to persevere in all our relationships as You do with us! `Amen!!!


RL