Early Morning Memories

This morning Darya interrupted my devotion time, don’t get me wrong I welcome these interruptions. I want her to be able to come to me and talk anytime, knowing that I am available plus I like that she witnesses me rising early to seek the Lord through the Word as an example for her. I welcome these teaching and training opportunities with Darya, I just pray that my guidance will always be Word-drenched and Spirit-led.

I started out blogging trying to say Girl A, Girl B, etc.., but I was getting confused, so the girl’s names have been changed to protect the unknowing and for my sanity.

Darya nestled onto the sofa, couch, sofa (what do you call it?) and begin to explain all the drama that had happened the day before at school. The issue was Edith was following Mandie and Darya all over the playground. Darya said, “Mom, she was getting on my nerves. She was getting all up in my face and invading my space and was following Mandie and me all over the playground like a lost puppy.” Yes, she said “like a lost puppy. I’ve never been a fan of touching or being too physically close to others myself, so I can take the blame for the personal space issue, God is still working on me in that area, so I know there is still hope.

So Darya informed Edith that she needed to quit hanging around her. Naturally this upset Edith, who rolled her eyes but it did not deter her from hanging out with Darya and Mandie.

So Mandie told Edith to stay put while she talked to Darya. Mandie asked Darya why Edith was hanging around them. Darya said it was because her two friends (let’s say Jill & Julie) were not there so Edith was using them as “backup friends”. So Darya and Mandie developed their own social experiment complete with a hypothesis to test their theory. They decided to both walk off in separate directions and see which one Edith followed. Guess what? Mandie the “lost puppy” didn’t follow either of them! Hypothesis busted! They decided that Edith was unable to find them on that large playground so that is why she didn’t follow either of them. Their conclusion made me laugh on the inside.

Darya was concerned about going to school that morning and facing Edith because she suspected Edith was mad at her. I told Darya just explain to Edith that you need some personal space and not to get up in your face, but that she wanted her as a friend.

I asked Darya what was her definition of a true friend. No reply. I asked Darya if Hannah was a true friend. She said, yes. I said, “Hannah is a true friend because….” Darya finished the sentence with “she cares.” I said, “yes, true friends care” A true friend cares more about your needs than their own. So for you to be a friend to Edith you should care that she is alone and welcome her to hang around you, even if it is because her main friends aren’t there. Just let her know not to get in your face. I told her it was okay to be a back up friend and to be happy that she was the kind of person that others wanted to be around.

True friends put your needs before their own.

As the day passed I thought about her term of “back up friend” so I did what all intelligent people in America do, I Googled it.

UrbanDictionary defines Back up Friend as “A person who is someone you know and are "friends" with, but isn’t treated like a friend. You are treated like an acquaintance. This is a person one only talks to when their actual friends are away. The person who is the back-up friend is treated poorly and is usually someone who doesn’t have a lot of friends or gets a lot of dates. The backup friend is someone who gets the short end of the stick when it comes to friendship. The person who sees you as a backup friend doesn’t care about you and isn’t concerned with any part of you as long as you are someone they can come to when they want to converse with someone when their real friends have disappeared.

As a friend of God, a believer in Jesus Christ, I was deeply convicted, how often have I treated God and Jesus Christ as a “back up friend”? I know I am a friend of God now, but that hasn’t always been true. At one point I was an enemy of God, it wasn’t until God allowed me to see my sin as the reason I was separated from Him. It wasn’t until I agreed with God of my sinful condition, lost – destined to eternal punishment – a life separated from God that I repented of my sin, accepting His free gift of forgiveness, love and acceptance.

I’m so glad that Jesus doesn’t see me as “back up friend”? We certainly don’t get the short end of the stick when it comes to being friends with Jesus. The beauty of being friends with God and Jesus is that when are unfaithful, He remains faithful. When all our friends leave us, He will never leave or disown us. He is not in it for His benefit but for ours. He truly is a friend that sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).

Darya came home and said that she talked to Edith and they are now friends again and wants to know if she can spend a night!

- I am coaching volleyball at the YMCA. Starts Thursday. This has nothing to do with this blog, but I just thought I would share. Anyone out there have some volleyball drills, tips, or advice?