A friend sent me a “Thank You” note this week. I had forgotten that I had sent him a book over the summer. My friend is a writer (and teacher) and I felt that the book might give him a different perspective on his current area of research for his upcoming book. The subject of the book I gave him came up in the class he was teaching, and he was able to speak with authority having just read it.
There are several things at work in this every day story that occur in our every day lives, and I am not sure I do nearly enough justice to them. My vision is often myopic, shortsighted. I had intended the gift one way and, yes, it was used for my intended purpose but its use grew and no doubt will continue to grow in ways I may or may not know about. God has a way of multiplying our gifts.
Another ‘thing’ at work here is the gift of ourselves in what we call friendship. A friend is someone who is true and for real. We need each other in times of private pain, of fear and stress. We need each other to share our joys and happiness. We need each other to hold on to and to be strong with, and encourage when things are going wrong. We need each other to keep the faith and to teach us about all the faces of love, and to remind each other of all the things we're dreaming of.
It has been said that there are no solitary Christians and I believe this to be true. Who would want to be alone when there is so much richness in friends? I am always delighted when it is time for new member’s classes here at Marble. I delight in going from table to table and seeing the new seeds of friendship being planted. Who knows how God is going to multiply these gifts? |