Proverbs 17:17
There are few things worse in life than feeling
alone when you need a friend. When hard times come, and they come to everyone
at some time, we need to know that we are not going through it alone. This is
one of the big issues in depression. This feeling of being alone, unheard,
uncared for, unwanted, misunderstood, undervalued, can drive depression. We all
need a good friend, someone to turn to when aloneness hits, or when we hit a
hard patch.
I
remember roller skating when I was in High School. I didn’t do it enough to
feel confident, so when I would first get onto the floor, I always wondered if
my tail end was going to make contact with the floor in a rapid manner causing
pain. I don’t like pain! I wish someone, an expert, to help me in those first
few times around the floor. I would have confidence knowing that I was not by
myself, that the expert would catch me before the pain was inflicted.
I
remember travelling back and forth to college after a weekend at home. Those
were long, sleepy trips. I wish I had someone to talk with me and keep we
awake, stimulate my brain, grab the wheel, and keep a watchful eye. Being alone
made the trip that much more difficult.
Our
text tells us that a friend’s love is not dependent on anything. We don’t have
to perform in order for our friend to extend their love. Their love is always
there, even when we blow it. Their love does not carry any exclusion clause. It
doesn’t turn off when an emergency strikes. It does not have an expiration
date. This is friendship!
The
second half of our proverb tells us that the reason this kind of close
relationship exists is for those difficult, resource exhausting times in life.
We are meant to be connected, interdependent people. We are made to lean on
each other. There is supposed to be give and take in relationships. The bottom
line is that we can’t do life alone.