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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The Essence of a True Friend: On Interaction (Thank you)

Our friends, our families, the people we come across and converse with for a moment in the eternity of life, they all serve a very real purpose that it's to our advantage to understand. The people in my life have all revealed themselves in some way as to how they serve (or served) a role in my life and growth. For a while we assume we know the roles of people, we create these assumptions based on societal understanding and standards independent of what's actual, real and in front of our eyes. Until we break through that wall of assumption, we never understand the essence of a true friend.

Some feel blood, maybe time,emotional, material or informative gain defines what a person means to us. And that is fine, but what truly teaches beyond that is the motivation. The motivation and nature of the heart of the person defines what they mean for us.

Have you ever wondered why some friends seem so real and others don't? Why there are some people who you might not see for years who you have genuine interaction with and some "friends" you see everyday you never form that real bond with? It's because a real friend's heart is after love. A true friend. And a heart after love is concerned with the life of other people. A true friend doesn't seek what they can gain from another, but what they can give to people in light of their wisdom, knowledge and resources. When these types of people come together, you have the truest, most productive friendship you can ever imagine. It's why as we mature, even in the absence of those we grew to see as our friends, there is still much to talk about and share among people who've reached this understanding. It's why real friends are rare. Friendship is the manifestation of love. Without love and a natural, authentic concern for what you can give to people, your friendships will fail or succumb to things like time, absence, and circumstance.

Ever wonder why you can sometimes come across a person you don't even know, who might notice you're sad or just wants to talk and you have the most fulfilling conversation you've ever had? As if this person has known you for a lifetime? If a person obtains a loving nature and a heart after caring, that carries over into all interactions, not just friendships. A person with such a nature is a friend to everyone, because the entire foundation of a friendship is love and one who loves befriends.

The people around me have all shown their motivations. It's not a coincidence that some people I once trusted or loved are no longer parts of my life. They exhausted whatever temporary and baseless resource they had to share or exhausted their use of me and now lack any reason to deal with me and I with them. That's what it means to "grow out" of a person. Love is infinite. If a person loves you and gives you love, they will never run out of love to give. If you love them back, you'll come to find there is a never ending supply and this is why friendships of this type last forever, through thick and through thin, and overcome whatever obstacles come in the way. Love is all powerful.

So I implore you consider the hearts of those you interact with. Everyone you come in contact with should see that love coming from you and should give you love the same. Their minds and hearts should be selfless and their purpose in talking to you should be to share and gain things of substance, not temporary matters that leave at the first wind of change. Motives are everything, and as such should be kept in mind at all times for yourself and others.

You should be thankful for the friends you have that have a real concern for the state of your being, for the lessons that you learn and their role in your growth as an individual. The fruits thereof are peace and endurance in your relationship. Be thankful for the people no longer in your life because they lacked love and be thankful that you possess this nature because it ensures positive vibes all around you. And love will most certainly attract love and in most cases influence change for the better. I thank every friend I have who has loved me in spite of. For what in all this Earth is closer to God than love?

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