A Time to Seek Meaningful Connections
By Doug Bing, Washington Conference president
This past weekend Wilma and I were supposed to attend our academy alumni reunion. Like most events it was canceled because of the nationwide shut down.
However, one of our classmates started posting all our senior pictures online and soon a virtual alumni reunion was happening. Classmates were chiming in about memories from our time in school. There were good-natured threats to tell those non flattering stories that happened so long ago. There were memories about teachers, fast cars, and good friends. There were inquiries about where classmates were that no one had heard from. Soon we were posting current pictures of families. It was a fun virtual reunion.
It made me think about the value of friendship. The wise Solomon stated millennia ago in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10—“Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor, For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.”
It was great talking with and renewing friendships four decades old this past weekend. It is also good to have and continue to make friends each day that can both help us along the way and that we can help along the way as well.
It is heartwarming to see new friendships being made as a result of the hardships that our country is facing. Friendships that are made as deliveries of food are made. Friendships that are made as neighborhood walks are taking place. Friendships that are made as prayer is being offered for the sick. Friendship that are made through the multitude of teleconferences that are being made. Friendships that are being made as people seek out meaning in spiritual things and maybe renew their friendship with God.
God is the greatest friend to have as He will consistently lift you up. He was lifted up on the cross and as a result He has the right to lift you up each and every day of your life.