Who Are Your Peeps?

Scriptural Reference: Proverbs 17:17; Proverbs 18:24; Proverbs 27:17

My maternal grandmother takes the word “friend” seriously, so you will not hear her calling casual acquaintances “friends.” Designate one of her associates a “friend” and she will quickly define the criteria of friendship. The scriptures, however, provide the clearest definitions of friendship. Nowadays, it appears that there are very few authentic relationships, as most are built on the concept of “what can you do for me?” And not, “how can we help one another?”

While Christ is the ultimate friend, the example of friendship that encourages me is the story of the paralyzed man in Luke 5:17-20. His healing depended on a few good friends. Jesus was teaching and so many people had gathered at the place where he preached, the man’s four friends realized that the only way to get him to Jesus would be to open the roof and lower the man into the dwelling. Jesus recognized the faith of his friends, and healed the paralyzed man because of that faith.

Do you have friends who would do the unthinkable to help you secure a blessing or healing?

When I landed my first professional job interview in Eden, North Carolina, my friend and sorority sister, Shana, agreed to travel with me to the backwoods. Eden is a small town located about 30 miles outside of Greensboro and about 10 miles from the Virginia line.

We gassed up the Geo Prism and were off to Eden...

We got lost after passing through Greensboro. Shana couldn't read the map and I began to scream and demand directions. Note: these were the days before Google and MapQuest. While my other friends would have told me where to put my map, Shana just searched in silence. Did I mention it was about 95 degrees and my car did not have air conditioning? Well, I arrived on time and Shana just drove around the town until my interview was completed.

When I moved four times in five years, Shana participated in three of those experiences, and even found herself crawling into a dumpster when I moved at the beginning of 2000. In the process of throwing away boxes, I mistakenly threw my keys in the receptacle that contained the remnants of New Year's Day meals. I will never forget that big pan of barbecue sauce that I encountered.

Shana crawled in as I stood by directing the rescue and recovery effort. It was dark and we could not see until a neighbor discovered us and returned with a flashlight. We found the keys after an hour of dumpster diving; Shana later found a bruise on her thigh. Thankfully, she had just gotten a tetanus shot!

These are my most memorable events, but Shana always recalls our little detour to Sandy Flats. Don't ask how we got there. We may not talk for months, but I always know she will be there if I ever needed to get to the roof.