Uncommon Friends, Common Faith

    Even though David had been serving intermittently in Saul's
court, he and Jonathan first met after David's stunning victory
over Goliath. First Samuel 18:1 tells us, "Now it came about when
[David] had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan
was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself'
    Have you ever met someone and instantly clicked? Been introduced
to a sister in Christ and within five minutes were chatting
like old friends? C. S. Lewis rightly said, "Friendship is born at that
moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought
I was the only one."' There is an instant bonding when we know we
are not alone in our passions and pains. Jonathan listened to David
and Saul speaking and obviously could tell from the grace in David's
speech that he and this man had much in common so much so
that from this point forward his well-being was directly bound in
David's.
    That oath had to stop Jonathan in his tracks. He knew of David's
unwavering trust in God and of David's own unquestionable integrity.
Based on all Jonathan had observed in David's character, David's
willingness to call on God as witness confirmed his accusation was
true. Jonathan believed David even if that meant siding against his
own father. Bless Jon a than for wanting to believe Saul, but Saul's past
actions hardly gave Jonathan much to work with.
    This matter of trust is foundational in any friendship, but it
is particularly important where servant leaders and laypeople are
concerned. I have often been wrongly hesitant to really open myself
to women in our congregations for fear they would discover I was
a mere mortal with hurts and hang-ups (and bizarre phobias). It's
almost like discovering your doctor failed Anatomy 101. Can you
have confidence in his diagnosis when he doesn't have the credentials
to back it up? That type of fear is what caused me to hold back rather
than to admit I was imperfect and risk how that would affect our
ministry. Could church members follow a man whose wife sometimes
missed her quiet times and had leftover chicken nuggets from
the last fast-food kid's meal under the seats of her car? I didn't know
because I didn't give myself the chance to find out.
    And on the flip side, though I can't say I've ever had it happen
to me personally, there are those women who will try to befriend the
wives of the ministers because of a seeming "inside track" they may
gain.
    What if the apostle Paul had quit when those who had worked
closely with him in ministry maligned him? What a loss if he had
cut himself off forever from Mark instead of allowing a reconciliation
that resulted in a deep appreciation and friendship. What if he'd
said, "No more!" after he'd gotten one beating too many? He could
have settled into a nice home in the Judean countryside with nary
a stoning or whipping in sight. However, he knew his calling wasn't
in safety but in sacrifice. You will never be content on the sidelines
when God has called you to the field.