To Be A Friend

Church camp's over and done, but since I have no photos yet I'd save the post for later..

It never fails to surprise me how most of the time we only know a teeny-weeny bit of a person. And I do mean, a teeny-weeny bit...

Whenever I find myself in a conversation, the thing that I always hope to avoid is to have a person tell you that there's something going on with them but when pressed a little further they serve you with "Oh, it's nothing lah." Don't take me wrongly here, it's not that I'd be angry with the person or anything, but rather I kinda feel dissatisfied with myself whenever I hit that sort of dead end in a conversation. Of course, it's understandable that you don't go around telling people that you have a pimple on your backside or anything of that sort, but to me it makes me feel that the person who's keeping a secret (let's say it's not a ridiculous pimple-on-the-backside one but rather something more serious and personal) doesn't trust me enough. This would of course be because I don't that person well enough. Which actually means to say that I did not make enough effort to know that person better. Which is not very nice, because I really prefer deeper-level friendships and not just being acquaintances..

Lately the question came about and made me wonder: what kind of a friend am I to the others around me?

Now I believe that my natural personality is more introverted and I'd happily be an island every now and then, but I know that I also enjoy being in the position to bless those of you out there whom I have the privilege to call 'friends' either in big or minor ways. But opportunities to help your friends largely depend on how much you know about them. And when I find that I know so little about someone, it would seem like almost insulting to even offer any sort of help...

I can only imagine what it's like to know someone through and through, to feel the hurt and share the pain, to cry the tears and laugh the joys. Everyone has their own ugly side and closet of skeletons, and being such a friend would surely take a lot of love and patience, but it also means that you are in the best possible position to render help whenever necessary. You would know what's gonna work and wouldn't, you would say only the right things and never fear offending that friend with the wrong choice of words, you would know how best to serve the needs of that friend.

And how profound it is, when the Lord sees me as that friend.

He knows me like the back of His hand, he shares with my thoughts and listens to my cries, He knows exactly the best way to help me sail through the troubles that find their way to the fragile hull of my soul. He sees me for all the worst things that I am, but never once said He would take leave. He is the one who cares to care, and I am that friend who cannot be any more grateful than to call Jesus as Saviour AND a true blue best of the very best friend!

Wonder if I woule ever have the privilege to be the kind of intimate friend to others in the way that Jesus is to me...

On a side note, all the Blind Zorro and Sorrow the sister stuff must've gotten into my head, because the only thing I did after getting back home was to draw this..

I must've spent close to four hours on this...better go hit the bed now :D