You've Got A Friend...

You’ve Got A Friend

Last week I was playing around with my iphone and changing the sounds that it makes to get my attention. Sadly, I got sucked into the world of ringtones online. I started looking for a ringtone that would encourage me to answer my phone. I am not a phone person and never have been. When I was a kid growing up, I would ride my bike all over town to go and be with my friends rather than call them on the phone. The phone has always just seemed so impersonal to me. This is one of the downsides to our fragmented culture, that we have resigned ourselves to technology to make contact with one another. I am aware that if I am going to live in this century that I will need to be flexible in how I communicate but I will always prefer human presence over modern technology.

Now, back to the ringtone. I finally landed on a jingle from the song by Carole King, You’ve Got a Friend. This is probably my all time favorite song because it speaks to my soul and touches the deepest part of me. Friends are valuable treasures in life. Some friendships are for a season and others last a lifetime. I am truly thankful for the people in my life that call me their friend. I know that true friendship is costly and so I do not take it lightly when another person chooses to walk in friendship with me. Last night I watched the last movie in the series of the Lord of The Rings and was struck by how the ending of the movie is built around friendships. In one of the final scenes, the hobbit, Sam, is carrying his, friend, Frodo to the top of the volcanic mountain so that Frodo can cast his burden (a ring) into the fire of the mountain and be set free. The beauty of Sam and Frodo’s relationship was that they stuck together through good times and bad times. That is a very difficult journey to take with another.

I read something today written by Joan Chittister that stood out to me in regards to friendship. Friends carry our burdens in their own hearts and give us the wisdom of distance to deal with them. We live in a broken world and all of us are broken people. We need to have friends in our lives that we know will not just enjoy the good side of us but will also endure that dark side of us as well. We all have a dark side that we must face and like Frodo we must find a way to let go of our burdens and be set free. Our friends are those who journey with us to the edge and help is let go of those things that so easily entangle us. Letting go of our burdens is an ongoing process and God gives us a lifetime to practice.

I am thankful to my family and friends who are committed to sticking with me through the good times and the bad times. You are truly my friends and live in the deepest part of my heart.

Throughout the Bible, there are many names for God and the one that has been most powerful to me is Friend. Jesus was called the friend of sinners! Jesus hung out with people that were not considered very loveable but he saw them in their essence. God is my friend. God sees me in all of my darkness and loves me anyway.

What more could I ask for?

When I hear this song I imagine God singing it over me.

When you're down and troubled
And you need some loving care
And nothin', nothin' is goin' right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night

You just call out my name 
And you know wherever I am
I'll come runnin' to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there 
You've got a friend

If the sky above you
Grows dark and full of clouds
And that old north wind begins to blow 
Keep your head together 
And call my name out loud
Soon you'll hear me knockin' at your door

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am 
I'll come runnin',  
to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there, yes I will

Now ain't it good to know 
that you've got a friend 
When people can be so cold
They'll hurt you, yes, and desert you 
And take your soul if you let them
Oh, but don't you let them.

You just call out my name 
And you know wherever I am
I'll come runnin,
to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there, yes I will
You've got a friend.

By the way, I never did get the ringtone to work on my phone but if you call me I will answer.