Friendship (Part 2)

Rich man - poor man...


When God created Adam He made a lonely, solitary man and quickly said of him it was not good for him to be alone. Adam was created a solitary man--a poor man. Only with the addition of others did Adam’s existence change. The wealth of Adam’s life was not in his solitude but rather in his mingling with others. It was with Eve and then with their offspring which removed the poverty of Adam and ushered him into an existence of real value. The simple fact is, the more Adam was connected to others the more his life mattered and obtained value. A solitary man is a poor man.


God in His infinite wisdom designed that in “solidarity” and not in "solitude” that life of the individual is one of worth. The community of faith, “the church”, realizes its value in the many--not the few. It is only among others that our existence has any worth. A seed that abides alone produces no benefit for the future, and a man who lives unto himself is a poor man indeed. Every time my world shrinks - the more of me and the less of others - I become a poorer man.


Ebenezer Scrooge from the Christmas classic “A Christmas Carol” is a perfect example: He was very rich and enjoyed success on every level. He had climbed the ladder to the top of the heap. He was a man of wealth, a man of power, a man of influence.


But he was a poor man. Hated, distrusted, and alienated from all who knew him. The fact that there was no wife or children at home speaks of his complete isolation. I find it interesting it was the ghost of a former business associate, who caused him to see the error of his ways. Whether he was really dead or dead just to him is moot. The sum of people written off as unfit, unworthy, and non important - the ever expanding graveyard of people lied on, mistreated, walked on, and forgotten, as he climbed the ladder and followed his dreams.


Do the ghosts of past friendships or relationships haunt us? The quote of the story is, “It’s not too late.” I can make the decision right now to enrich my life and the lives of those around me.


My point is not the actual story, but to draw a word picture… my world should be inclusive - not exclusive. If all of my friends look like me - act like me - think like me - much of the wealth of my life is lost. The tax collector and the publican, the sinner and the saint, the richer and the poorer are needed and should be wanted and welcomed in my world. In my world there needs to be allowance and room for people from all walks of life.


Intellectual balance comes by hearing all sides of an issue. I don't need a friend who changes when I change - who nods when I nod; my shadow does that far better.


“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” Honest debate among honest friends is one of the most valuable things in life.


I am a richer man today...


For I am at peace with God and with myself; I have made peace with my past and I'm optimistic about my future. When and where I can I have righted the wrongs and built bridges to those I once alienated.


For I can be friends and have fellowship even with those with whom I strongly disagree. I am richer for the effort.


I am richer today than I was yesterday, because I realize I alone have the power to make others feel welcomed or rejected in my world. With my words and the countenance of my face I can light a light of hope in the darkness of someone’s world. I have chosen to be kind and gracious to all men, thus “fulfilling the Law of Christ.”


Jesus said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.


The application of this verse is the easiest way to increase ones wealth.


I am a rich man today by realizing that real peace comes from being right, and doing right.


I am a rich man today, for I realize true wealth comes from giving, not receiving.


I am a rich man today, for I have crossed the aisle, apologized to and reconnected with an old friend whom I once wronged. I was humbled by his response and made richer by the process. Pride impoverishes, humility enriches... Pride requires sides to remain at odds, humility seeks to reconcile. Long after the cause has been forgotten, pride demands vindication. Humility makes a way for the prodigal to come home. The father, the brother and the prodigal were each enriched, blessed, and made whole with the reunion...


I am a rich man, for I have friends who love me enough to correct me when I am wrong, cheer me when I'm down, and stand beside me when others have fled… I am a very rich man.


I am a rich man, for I know that those who know me best, love me, honor me, and believe in the integrity of my heart. I am in love and at peace with my wife and my daughters… I am a very rich man.


I am a rich man, for I have given the hand of one of my daughters to another who will love her as I have loved her, and am made so much richer in the process. I am a very rich man.


Here are a few quotes:

“It is only among others that our existence has any worth”

“It is not good for man to be alone”

“A solitary man is a poor man”

“He drew a circle that shut me out-
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But love and I had a wit to win:
We drew a circle and took him In!”

“Fear makes strangers of people who would be friends”

“God brings people into our lives; it is our job to keep them in our lives”

"Human kindness cost the giver nothing; but to the one who receives it, its value is inestimable”


I hope you choose to make yourself richer today by reaching into someone else’s world.


Thank you for reading today.