THE SWEETEST OF A FRIEND
/My friend Donna Miller is a preschool curriculum writer for Lifeway. I was absolutely thrilled to receive this March 2026 article published in
Faith on Every Corner Magazine. With Donna's and the Publisher's permission, I am delighted to share it with you. ENJOY!
(Faithoneverycorner.com)
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One of the most amazing things about our omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent (everywhere present) God is that He wants to be my friend. He has supreme power, knowledge, and presence throughout the universe and yet He knows the number of hairs on my head and has known me since I was in my mother's womb.
There are multiple scriptures of God being friends with people in the Bible. One example is James 2:23 which says, "and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God's friend." Jesus told His disciples in John 15:14-15: "You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn't know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father." I cherish the fact that I am God's friend if I do what He commands me to do.
And yet, even though God is the perfect friend, sometimes I want or need a friend I can see and touch. Someone who can laugh with me at the silly things that happen, hand me a tissue for the tears, share in the times of blessing, and mourn in the hard times. Through the seasons of life, God has blessed me with some very special friends. In high school, I liked to skip lunch and hang out in the library with several friends from my church. We studied a little, ate cheese crackers and Wacky Wafers (Does that tell my age? They were popular in the early 1970s), and talked a lot! One day, my friend Cindi drew a picture on a scrap of paper and asked me what it was. The picture was a swing, with two chains and a seat. On the swing was a rectangle shaped face with stick arms and legs. It was s "Swinging Door." We laughed at it and kept on talking. When the bell rang for our lunch period to be over, Cindi pushed the Swinging Door over to me and said it was for me. I shook my head that I didn't need it. It went back and forth across the table a few times (and should have just gone in the trash), but one of us finally took it out of the library.
For the next few months, we looked for ways to sneak it into each other's notebooks or pocketbooks. We enlisted our friends and family to deliver it to the other person. The Swinging Door was passed back and forth repeatedly. My most impressive way of delivering the Swinging Door to Cindi was at her high school graduation. My parents had worked with the youth in our church for years and my dad was the school superintendent for our school system. At graduation, the high school principal handed out the diplomas and my dad handed out a small credit card size diploma replica to each graduate. When Cindi crossed the stage, my dad reached into his coat pocket and smiled as he said, "You get something extra." He handed her a small envelope with her little diploma. She thought it was a sweet note since my parents had been part of her life. Nope! You probably have already guessed . . . it was the Swinging Door!
We continued to pass it back and forth occasionally, but since we were no longer in school together, the Swinging Door appeared less often. Cind's most impressive way to pass the Swinging Door happened on my wedding day. That night, I was putting on my negligee and that crazy Swinging Door was in the sleeve! Cindi and her Mom had plotted with my Mom. They came over to our house and sewed it into my sleeve after my suitcase was packed. I was shocked!
Over the years, I lost the Swinging Door. When I admitted my failure, Cindi created a new improved version. It has continued to change hands over the last 50 years - appearing most recently in a birthday card Cindi sent to me just last week.
Passing a silly piece of paper back and forth is not life-changing, but Cindi's friendship has been. Since she is a couple of years older, she set a strong Christian example for me of how to live. I watched her relationships with others, saw her during her dating years, saw the spouse she chose, and watched them establish a Christian home. We see each other rarely now since we live in different towns and are both busy women. However, our friendship can pick up right where we started when we do manage to get together. We can pray for each other and support each other in good times and bad. We have shared the joy of grandchildren and the sorrow of losing both of her parents and both of mine. I am sure that God put her in my life as a life time friend. Romans 12:10 says: "Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another." Cindi is one of my friends who is like a sister to me and has loved me deeply through the years.
Has God put special friends in your life? Cherish your special friends and their positive influences. Proverbs 27:9b reminds us: "The sweetness of a friend is better than self-counsel." Take time to thank God for each friend and to pray specifically for the needs you know they are facing. Make an effort to stay in touch even though you are busy. Let them know how much you love them and that you are praying for them. Friends make the world a sweeter place - a taste of heaven on earth!
(All Scriptures are from the Christian Standard Bible.)
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Wasn't that a great sharing??? However, I DID leave out Donna's last line that requested IDEAS for getting the Swinging Door back to ME. Since it is now in my possession, you may just send those ideas MY way to help me get it back to HER!
Loving My Friends,Cindi
Want to know more about this kind of love? You’ll find God’s Plan to get you there at frazzledfemale.com.
www.frazzledfemale.com/blog
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