I want to be a friend who never, never, never, never, never, never, never ever gives up on you. And I mean never. No matter what you say or don’t say, you can’t lose my friendship. You may give up on your end, but I will never give up on my end. Why?

Because that’s what Jesus did for me. Jesus, the Friend above all friends, the Friend who sticks closer than a brother and laid down his life for me. He never gave up on me, so I can’t ever give up on you. That’s the deal.

I know what I’m describing isn’t the norm. When someone’s harsh words cut deep, it’s hard to remain in friendship. When someone’s silence cuts deeper still, it requires something beyond myself to remain.

And so my friendship with you is really Jesus loving you through me. I can’t on my own, I will fail you every time. I will let you down, get all OCD, and tragically mess things up. I on my own will run you off.

But Jesus is the Friend who is teaching me to be a better friend. No, better yet. He’s the Friend to me who’s a Friend to you through me. It’s His power that sustains any friendship I have.

I want to be the friend that encourages and cheers for you. The one who laughs with you at times and cries with you in other times. I want to be a friend who will do whatever I can to help you, to see you become all that God in Christ meant for you to be.

I want to be someone who will lay down my life for you in a thousand small ways, to give up my rights for you, give up my own set ways of doing things for you.

That’s the kind of friend I want to be to you, and because of God in me, I am slowly becoming just that.

Thank you, friends, for not giving up on me and for seeing through my fears and false fronts and neuroses to the real me. To the Jesus in me. I will be forever grateful!