What's in a friendship?

There are friendships that last and there are friendships that don't. What's the difference? It's hard to tell. But there has to be some sort of heart connection in order for any friendship to survive. I have found in my life that some friends are only for a short period of time, but there are some that last a life time. The ones that last are the ones you should make a special effort to retain. It is not so much how you service the friendship that makes it work, but the heart felt attitude towards someone.
A friend is not a necessarily perfect. A friend has faults. You accept the friend with the faults.
I once sat in a restaurant somewhere in America and the African American waitress slammed four giant glasses of ice cold water onto the wooden table. I was irritated by all the water on the table as the condensation slid down the glasses and onto the table. I called the waitress back.
'Look at the table: it's wet! And to tell you the truth I didn't even order the four glasses of water!'
'Well, you get the wet with the water, baby!' she replied and shrugged my complaint off with a wave of her hand.
Later on someone told me why you get water the moment you sit down in a restaurant in America: because someone choked to death in a restaurant and because there was no water on the table the family sued the restuarant, made millions and caused the restaurant owner to close down because he went bankrupt! Since then you get the wet with the water - whether you like it or not!
In a friendship you get the wet with the water as well!
Jesus called some ordinary guys to come and learn from him for a few years and then there was a twist in the tale. At a certain point in time, in John 15 we read about it, he said to them, ' I no longer call you servants, but my friends!' And then He qualified his requirements for friendship: 'you listen to what I tell you and you do what I ask you!' Simple! A friend always makes an effort to do what you ask, no matter how busy they are, and also knows when to listen and when to speak.
Plato described friendships that work only one was as a burden: the one who sees and advantage in a friendship is only a friend as long as he can take advantage. When the advantage is no longer on his side, he breaks the friendship and hates the one who did not give him what he wanted! I have been disillusioned by such friendships until I reread Plato again. ( I studied drama, languages and philosophy at UCT).
Well, there you are and there you have it - some thoughts for the holiday season about friendship. Think through on it and see whether you can determine who your real friends are!
Last year I experienced one of the high lights of my life: a few of my university friends met together in the south of France to reminisce under the Mediterranean sky for a week. And what a week it was! It reunited the friends after 35 years and each one told his story - some stories made us laugh and some made us cry, but we have been in contact every since and we are planning a get together in the USA this year when one of the guys turn 60!
In closing, let me say this, the best friend to have is Jesus...he will hear you when you call, he will keep you when you fall, and he is never too busy to be there for you! Try Him if you never have - it has divine dividents!