A Braided Cord with a Tender Hand

 By: Joanne Viola

 

She called this past week. The dearest of friends. Over thirty years of friendship.

The mere sound of her voice on the other side of the phone moved me to tears, and joy, and laughter, all at the same time.

We don’t talk weekly, at times a month or two can pass before we speak. Yet we always pick up right where we left off as if no time had passed at all.

She’s the friend who knows me best. Every detail, all the emotions, and has stuck by in friendship through the years.

I recently read this quote again and it has deeply reminded me of the importance of being a good friend:

“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.” (Henri Nouwen)

And that is so it.

Life can be difficult, challenging, and painful at times. But knowing there is someone who can traverse those times with us, whom we can bare our hearts, and be confident those times will be held close in confidence, can make it bearable.

Scripture puts it this way:

“A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated,
but two can stand back-to-back and conquer.
Three are even better,
for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”
(Ecclesiastes 4:12, NLT)

We need a friend who can sit with us in the pain, pray with us, and point us to Jesus, until we come through the storm.

They take us by the hand, walking with us, helping us, knowing the entire time that it is the way we both journey into a deeper and more intimate relationship with Jesus.

It is the way we both discover the beauty, grace, and mercy of Jesus which He pours out into our lives through one another.

We need to let one another in. We need to stand by one another. We need to be less critical, less judgmental, and just come alongside of one another. Let’s choose to share pain and touch wounds with a tender hand for one another.

It’s how I become a better me,
you become a better you, and together,
we both become more like Jesus.

 

Reflection:
Do you have that friendship you can depend on? Are you that friend to someone? Do you need to reach out to encourage someone today? Do you need to reach out to let someone encourage you today?

 

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay