Monday Morning Manna: Thankful for Friends

Last week I officiated the wedding ceremony for two friends that I have known since I was nine years old. They have known each other since they were four years of age. We spent part of our “growing-up” years in the same church – same children’s ministry, same youth ministry, same missions organizations, same baptistery, same summer camp, same note passing in worship services (we were before cell phone text messaging). When we went our separate ways, they met and married the loves of their lives, had wonderful marriages, raised families, and eventually experienced the death of their spouses. Then they re-connected, fell in love, and now they are married. I’m so glad I got to be a part of their ceremony. Long before Michael W. Smith sang “Friends are friends forever . . . a lifetime’s not too long to live as friends,” the writer of Proverbs said, “the rich has many friends” (Proverbs 14:20). I am rich with friendships – friendships that span the years of time. During this Thanksgiving season, we would all do well to give thanks for our friends. Today I am thankful for Fred and Claire, my newlywed friends.

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford.