“C’mon Mom, let’s cut some more hay!”
“Not now Possum, the hay’s not ready. Besides, Dad has to work on the tractor; the A/C quit.”
“Awwww… I’ll just sit in the tractor and wait then.”
When the things that are dear to us are suddenly taken away, chaos tries to invade its place. Pot Pie loves to ride… anything, whether tractor, truck, or four-wheeler. He’s even content to perch himself in the passenger seat of my van. And when he can’t, his “countenance is fallen.”
Few things disrupt our lives with fervent bewilderment as does the loss of physical nearness to personal friends.
We too often take for granted the privilege of friendship. I wish I could claim, “not guilty,” but I’m probably the worst at properly cherishing this wonderful gift.
Several years ago, I was blessed with not only meeting a good friend, but with having him serve as my pastor. This young man became a spiritual mentor in my life. I monitored his actions and activities, with intent to imitate. I longed for his recommendation of books and articles, and then ran to the bookstore to add his suggestions to my library (a large number of books reside there today).
Please don’t think I’m placing him on a pedestal. He would never tolerate that, because his every breath was spent proclaiming the glory of God’s Son. He was sold out for the Gospel. But his excitement breathed new life into an ever-becoming-dusty religion seen in far too many churches today.
And then he was gone; called away to another local assembly. And life changed for me dramatically.
Don’t waste your breath with all the normal responses to statements as this. I know all the churchly advisement that is coming. [YOU shouldn’t place your faith in a man! That’s what you get for placing your confidence in men rather than Jesus! And so on…] Forgive me… I’m human, and he was a great friend.
But the story gets worse (that’s actually why I’m posting this). Even though he moved far away, his teaching was still available; right here on WordPress. I used one of his posts just recently to teach in my current church.
The key word though is, “was.”
As I often do, I traveled to his site from my blogroll to find the words, “The authors have deleted this blog.” Now I know how Pot Pie feels when he can’t ride with TC and me.
Is there a moral to this story? Of course! Treasure every moment of friendship that God blesses you with. Tomorrow, it may be gone.
You are welcome sir.
This story was so well written, at the end I was left feeling very compassionate for Pot Pie. Great job Michael!
Old Pot Pie Possum appreciates that Jeffrey. He is the most unique member of our family… and he’s usually spoiled with preferential treatment. Thanks and God bless.
Sometimes it’s gone when we’ve had a chance to see it coming. Sometimes it’s just…suddenly…gone. The present moment, as CS Lewis observed, is the only moment that touches eternity. What we call the past is, well…past. What we call the future isn’t something we can even claim. Great post, Michael!
Thank you Leah. CS always seems to have a great bit of wisdom for each step of life. God bless.
“He who walks with the wise grows wise”…your friend is not gone, he can be found in the wisdom he imparted…you may even hear him coming out of your mouth 🙂
Thank you… these are great words of encouragement. God bless ya’ll.
I’m sorry, M.T. The loss of a friend due to distance or loss of contact or for whatever reason is sad. I don’t believe cherishing a friend is putting man above Christ. Instead, I believe Jesus shows us how we need one another — after all, He chose 12 men to be His all-time, close-up friends. He even had quite a few lady friends!
A long time ago I had a lady friend in my church who was a bit older than me, and when I told her that I loved her, she scolded me, saying that only Jesus is capable of loving. Needless to say, her words stung.
It is right to cherish and miss friends, always.
God bless you, brother and friend. Carley
Thanks Carley. I appreciate your great comments of wisdom. God bless.