Recently my father had open-heart surgery and my father-in-law broke his back. Immediately after their surgeries—and for the weeks that followed—both men tearfully expressed their deep affection for family and friends. “I just love people!” my bedridden father-in-law repeated to anyone within hug-shot.
While their emotional outbursts might be attributable in part to their medication, it seems likely that their brushes with death focused their minds on what mattered most. Both men kept obsessively tidy cars, lawns, and homes. But after their crises, neither asked about the things they owned. They cared only about people.
Paul’s final letter to Timothy conveys a similar focus. Aware that “the time of my death is near” (2 Timothy 4:6), Paul implored Timothy to “please come as soon as you can” (v.9). The apostle felt alone, for Demas, Crescens, and Titus had left him. So he urged Timothy to “bring Mark with you when you come” and to “do your best to get here before winter” (vv.11,21).
Paul was as driven as anyone you’ll ever meet. How else could he have become our greatest missionary? Yet, at the end of the day he cared most about people. Perhaps this is why he concluded his most doctrinal epistle with approximately 30 greetings to specific Christians in Rome. Paul knew that theological orthodoxy means little without people to share it with.
The same holds true for any kind of success. Warren Buffett said: “I know people who have a lot of money, and they get testimonial dinners and hospital wings named after them. But the truth is that nobody in the world loves them. When you get to be my age, you’ll measure your success in life by how many people actually do love you. That’s the ultimate test of the way you’ve lived your life.”
More:
• 1 Kings 2:1-4
• Ecclesiastes 4:7-12
• 1 Thessalonians 3:6-10
Next:
If you knew that you were going to die tomorrow, what people would you need or want to spend time with today? How will you reach out to them?
learning2serv on September 7, 2009 at 8:53 am
I’ve never been one to have a lot of friends. Like everyone, there’s the assortment of people around you – school, work, church; acquaintances and associates – but very few friends.
This weekend past was my birthday, and it was the most memorable I’ve had. The location and activities were not stunning, but what made it fantastic was sharing the time with 5 new friends, all made within the last year, one of them whose birthday is one day before mine (so we celebrated both.
I returned to the Family House in Pittsburgh (similar to a Ronald McDonald House), which I’ve been staying at for two months at 2am to find that there was a birthday card and cake waiting for me. I was sad I missed the impromptu party they’d planned, but happy at the surprise and incredible thoughtfulness.
This has been a year of friendships. Though I’ve always wanted friends, even have shown myself friendly, I realize that human souls are a treasure and true friends are a blessing, a God-given gift and are to be cared for as such. The lives we are touch are according to the seasons that God ordains.
It’s taken awhile for me to come to a place of maturity where I can value others at that level. I accept them for being them and want the best for them (Christ) while realizing that those closest in our lives should strengthen, not cloud, our vision of Him while being supportive of our God-given call that each of us have. That “supportive” is very broad – it takes God-granted wisdom to see even the good stuff (or the God stuff) that happens through the rough spots in our relationships.
So, on my 42nd birthday, I realized that I had been given the gift of friends, a treasure which God treasures.
Lord, thank you for the gift of true friends and a heart to treasure them. Teach me all the more to be a good steward over these precious gifts.
evelyn on September 8, 2009 at 12:38 am
In our technologically driven world we need to re-learn to engage in real face to face relationships.While we all derive much pleasure being connected to the world through the internet, it is the friend, neighbor or relative who lives within our city that is physically closest to us that we often neglect.