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Several years ago I had a very bad day . I sat for almost an hour , with another man listening in , while I was chastised , accused , belittled and challenged about my integrity , honesty and character . OUCH ! I thought this much younger man really loved and appreciated me . I kept my mouth shut and took it , but the words went deep , and the pain that ensued for days , even weeks , was very real . The resolution I found came in the form of a sound ; the sound of my true friends ' voices . Just the sound of their voices washed over my soul like a cool drink of water over some very parched ground .
The voice of a friend … powerful stuff .
The obvious song I hear in my mind as I try to convey something that would take more space and time than I have here , is the one penned by Carol King and made more famous by James Taylor …” You ’ ve got a friend .” Is it possible that the love-friendship of God that has been shed abroad in our hearts has been given so that we could be a lover / friend to others ?
There ’ s a great line in the first SHREK movie where Shreck asks Donkey , “ Why are you doing this ?” Donkey ' s answer is perfect , “ Because that ’ s what friends do !”
Let ’ s go and be true friends to one another !
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