“I am with you, declares the Lord.”
- Haggai 1:13
I was having lunch with friends the other day, when one of them referred to an event in his life as providential. “We all have those watershed moments,” one of the guys responded, and we all agreed.
I shared one such experience that took place while I was in the Army. After basic training it was discovered that I could type, so the military made me a clerk-typist (never mind that I had written for newspapers while in high school and college) and sent me to Hawaii for a year and a half of service. On our way to the islands, three buddies and I were waiting at a bus stop outside San Francisco.
“Shipping out?” a sergeant standing nearby asked. I answered that we were going to Hawaii. That was his last stop, he told us, inquiring about our assignments. When I told him that the Army had turned me from a writer to a typist, he laughed and told me that he was a newspaper editor
“When you get to Hawaii, call this number. Tell him the Gray Fox sent you.” I took down the number but doubted anything would come of it. I was wrong. That “chance” meeting at a bus stop and my subsequent phone call produced a writing job that suited my skills to a T and changed my whole time in the service. Providential? I think so.
Teach us, Lord, to trust Your hidden hand, leading in ways we may not understand.
Fred Bauer
TWO KINDS OF FRIENDS
(Author Unknown)
A simple friend stands by you when you are right. A real friend stands by you even when you are wrong.
A simple friend identifies himself when he calls. A real friend doesn’t have to.
A simple friend opens a conversation with a full news bulletin on his life. A real friend says, “What’s new with you?”
A simple friend thinks the problems you whine about are recent. A real friend says, “You’ve been whining about the same thing for 14 years. Get off your duff and do something about it.”
A simple friend has never seen you cry. A real friend has shoulders soggy from your tears.
A simple friend doesn’t know your parents’ first names. A real friend has their phone numbers in his address book.
A simple friend brings a bottle of wine to your party. A real friend comes early to help you cook and stays late to help you clean.
A simple friend hates it when you call after he has gone to bed. A real friend asks you why you took so long to call.
A simple friend seeks to talk with you about your problems. A real friend seeks to help you with your problems.
A simple friend wonders about your romantic history. A real friend could blackmail you with it.
A simple friend, when visiting, acts like a guest. A real friend opens your refrigerator and helps himself.
A simple friend thinks the friendship is over when you have an argument. A real friend knows that it’s not a friendship until after you’ve had a fight.
A simple friend expects you to always be there for them. A real friend expects to always be there for you.