My Best Friend

Today began like it usually did. BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! I hit the snooze button and rolled over. Again and again my alarm rang, but I would hit the snooze button and once again fall asleep. Finally, Heather turned on the lights and I groaned. Why can't I just sleep forever? I thought to myself. I rolled out of bed and started my day. I wished I could just sleep through all of my problems. I didn't feel like dealing with people today. I was feeling very hurt by a particular friend of mine, and was wallowing in self pity. I just wanted to go back under the covers and hide from the world, but I had already made my bed. Instead, I opted for just sitting cross-legged on it (I was still trying to wake up). As I sat there, looking around my room, I spotted my old yearbook peeking out of my bookshelf.

Wanting to do something other than think about punching this person, I grabbed it. As I flipped through the picture-filled pages, I found cute little notes from friends. They weren't very deep or encouraging. I kept turning the pages, looking for something big, though I didn't know what. Not to too many pages later, I stumbled across an entire page filled with little blue words. Rachel had always been a long-winded person, and I had found part 3 of her epistle. I found a random spot in the middle and started reading.

"Your other friends will not always be there for you. They will ditch you when you need them most. Some will use you. Some with hurt you deeper than you believe is possible. Some will change and won't want to hang out with you anymore because you won't have anything else in common other than your homework. Some will talk about you behind you back, break promises, and spill your secrets. Some will even break your heart. 

"But you know, at the end of the day, when everyone else has gone, and the lights are out, Jesus is there waiting for you. You know, I started signing this before you gave your vespers talk to me in your room, so I know the big point I gave you is kind of like preaching to the choir. But maybe one day you'll forget, and you'll look back on this and remember your testimony - remember that you must rely on God instead of your friends."

Amazed, I couldn't read on. Tears filled my eyes as I realized what a powerful and loving God I was pushing myself away from. When my friends fell short, God was always there, waiting for me to put my trust in Him. But I turned away from Him, again trusting my heart to the human beings around me. God is the only one who will always be there for me. He will never let me down.

But that doesn't mean that I'm going to abandon all of my friendships. All of my friends are very near and dear to my heart. They would have to do a lot to lose me as a friend. And, to be perfectly honest, I am not even close to being a great friend to any of them. But the good news is that I have a perfect example to follow after: Jesus Christ, my Best Friend.