Thankful for Friends

Again, I saw vanity under the sun: one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business. Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:7-12 ESV). There is a difference between acquaintances and friends. We all have both in life; however, friends are a very important part of life. I am thankful that God has given me friends. Our reading today helps us understand the importance of these relationships. They provide for us a sense of love and acceptance that can only be eclipsed by family. We all need to love and be loved. Unfortunately, sometimes we are so obsessed with other things that we forget how beautiful it is to love and be loved. Relationships are also the place where our greatest joy comes from. One inseparable part of relationships is giving. In fact, I believe that there is no genuine relationship without giving. Whether it is giving your time, attention, money, or just a smile, genuine relationship is all about giving. And believe it or not, there is great joy in giving. We often think only about ourselves that we forget the joy of giving. Life is wonderful when we are thinking about others and not just ourselves. Through relationships you have the people to support you in times of trouble. When we face difficult times, we need other people to support us. No one can take care of everything by himself. When the world looks dark and the problem looks big, nothing is more valuable than the support of people we love. They encourage us to go through, they accompany us in the time of trouble, and they are willing to share the burden with us. The journey will become much easier. Actually, along with our family, friends are those people God has given to us that truly matter. I have been at the bedside of many people who were facing their last moments of life on this earth. There has never been a time when they are thinking about their achievements and awards. They don’t care whether they are rich or famous. All those things become meaningless when people are face-to-face with death. All they want is having the people they love around them. They want the warmth of love in their last moments. Nothing else matters. They realize that, eventually, relationships are the only things that matter. My prayer for you is that you have such relationships in your life. Thank God for them!