« Welcome Home Sweet Chicken! | Main | Basketball...who needs it? »

August 27, 2006

Friends!

That Phoebe is histerical, Monica would drive me crazy with her hyper-organization skills, Ross is an archeological mad-man that can't be a man when he needs to, Joey is a wanna-be actor who treats women like crap, Chandler makes me laugh, and finally, Rachel is often concerned for herself and no one else.
I was talking with some friends last night on the back porch about the tv show, FRIENDS. I wondered why it was so popular. Obviously there are classic episodes that were very funny, (the Hannakuh Armadillo for example). I wondered what it means to have friends that are with you always? The reason I ask this question is because I have never had a circle of friends that I was with for longer than a year or two, as the "Friends" were. There are those people that require intentionality in continuing to pursue in relationship and then there are those that one is friends with because they happen to be in the same life situation such as work or school. What is good?
As I think through this question I can't answer it because there are deeper issues at hand; everyone wants to belong and to call a place home. The thing about FRIENDS that made it so attractive was that they were all good friends, they all belonged, and it was understood that they were ALL a part of "the family" for 10 years. Roommates changed, jobs changed, some had babies together, some got married accidently, but they ALL remained friends...none of them left. Although this reality would only happen in tv land, it's so attractive.
What I got from our discussion last night is that we have to be willing to allow people to be human. We have to remember that we live in a fallen world where we are all messed up with sin, and come from hard situations, some worse than others. We will never be a part of a family of friends if we don't surrender to the fact that sin is a part of humanity, even ourselves.
So, what is good? I don't know that there is a right or wrong answer. It seems that we are all given an innate need for relationship with others. Yet the thirst for relationships won't ever be quenched if we move from people to people all the time. We must be patient and learn to love each other well, despite our short-comings.
Athentic relationships are a part of this need for relationships, beyond a spouse or "best friend" as it were. We will only come to realize who we are when in authentic relationships. We will only make this world a better place when in authentic relationships. We will only learn to be self-less, caring people when we are living self-less, caring lives...with each other.
In closing, what is right? To pursue relationships that continue on and on is good. However, I also have to accept the fact that life brings changes...people move, get new jobs, have babies, get married, etc. I guess what I'm saying is that looking at time as a way to define a relationship is not always going to be the true evidence of a good friend, yet it will be looking at how you spent your time together. In all friendships, we must go where more people not dare to. The only way we can do this is to be willing to allow people to be human, and love each other as none of us deserves to be loved, with gracefulness that touches each of us everyday.

| By Nathan Gemayel | 11:22 PM

Comments

Posted by: mary ellen at September 25, 2006 3:02 AM

Posted by: Claire at September 26, 2006 11:41 PM

Posted by: Mo at October 6, 2006 2:33 PM

Posted by: Nathan Gemayel at October 6, 2006 3:16 PM

Email "Friends!" to a friend!