Most of you remember the line from the Beatle’s song, “I’ll get by with a little help from my friend.” However, despite the true meaning of the song’s reference to drugs, we all can use a little help from “someone” at some time in our life. As members of a faith community, we place great emphasis on sharing both joys and sorrows, reassuring each other that we are not alone as we travel this road of life. Because sharing sorrows as well as joys is what a life through friendship is about. But when we are going through a difficult time, we may hesitate to call even our best friends because we don’t want to burden them with our troubles. This can be especially true if we’ve been going through a series of challenges, and we’re beginning to feel as if we sound like a broken record. However, it is at our lowest points that we really need to rely on our friends without worrying that we are a burden. Moreover, it is important to remember that at times like these our friends sincerely want to be there for us whenever they can, because friends don’t want each other to suffer alone when someone is just a telephone call away. Chances are your friend will reassure you that they are happy to be there for you. Without our friends, we would be hard pressed to get through the tough times and celebrate the good ones. If we leave our friends out of our process when things get tough, friendships begin to feel shallow. On the other hand, if we include our friends in the full story of our lives, the good, bad and ugly, we invite them to bring their whole selves to the relationship as well. When we include friends in the full story of our lives, we are able to build an authentic relationship together.
Heart to Heart,
Rev. Addae