Thoughts on Long Term Friendships
Over a 2 week span, I am experiencing two events that have reminded me of the value, importance, and joy of friendships, especially those that endure across many years.
A few days ago I had the privilege of watching a very good friend from my class the the Naval Academy retire from government service. Bill finished near the top of our class, had a very impressive 30-year career in the Marine Corps, and just returned from leading a very large government agency. The love of the people who worked for him was obvious, many of them even shedding tears at the prospect of Bill no longer being their leader. That was all impressive, but for me, it was a reminder of when we first met during plebe year. We immediately became very good friends. We were both Christians and our passion for Christ spurred one another on. As he inevitably spent time all around the world in the Marine Corps (and I was living back in Annapolis by then), we often did not see each other for years at a time. And in the world before mobile phones, email, and texting, that meant we often had little connection. But the friendship remained, and in recent years we have been able to see each other fairly often and to communicate over the phone and text even more. It has been a joy to renew such a long-term friendship. And I am glad to say that even though it has been 44 years since we met, we are both still walking with Christ and trying to see His purposes in our lives, families, and the world.
The second event is happening this week as my class celebrates our 40th reunion. Linda and I will have the joy of my roommate Lew and his wife Deb staying with us for several days. Lew and I roomed together for 3 years at USNA. During that time he became a believer, and he too continues to walk with Jesus, along with his wife Deb and their 8 daughters! In fact, Lew serves as a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church where they attend. It will be a great joy to spend time together this weekend.
But I will also be spending time with other friends from all those years ago. Many of them are not Christians and would not agree with some of the most important things upon which I have built my life. But our friendship endures. The things we experienced all those years ago, the similar life experiences, and the common commitment to each other have allowed the friendship to continue across the decades.
Of course, I am blessed with many friendships in our church that spend decades as well. But such friendships seem to be rare in our disposable age. But there is a joy that comes with relationships over time. There are inevitably difficulties and ebbs and flows in such relationships, but there is a depth in them that is a rare and special joy.
I encourage you to invest in friends. Possessions come and go, but friendships can last a lifetime. And for those of us in Christ, they can last eternally! So take the time to reach out to a friend, and set up a time to get together – you will be glad you did!
In Christ,
Bret