A friend versus a friend you've had for twenty years

I sat down in my chair in math class in 7th grade. This fuzzy headed guy was sitting next to me. He looked pretty weird, but within a few days we were laughing our heads off and really enjoying our new friendship. As time went on, we started doing a bowling league together and lots of other stuff. His name is Amir Moftakhar, and 21 years later I'm about to go to his 33rd birthday party. What creates a friendship like this? God.

Amir is not a Christian. Nowhere close really. But he has typically asked me to pray about things for him. Every time I tell him that I am deep in prayer about things for him and his wife and son and parents and brother, he thanks me. He has never tried to push me away from Christianity. Usually it is me trying to push him IN to it.

Over the years, when we were younger, we had a few arguments, and one badly timed basketball court brawl. But a few months later, there we were again, hanging out and enjoying each other's company.

Now, this is not a guy that I barely talk to, or only see once a year. I usually see him in person about four or five times a year, along with several phone calls and emails. We have a genuine friendship! I always miss him and I know that he always misses me. Friends like this don't happen every day.

What does it take to create these kinds of relationships? FAITH!!! You must look at every interaction in your life as a new opportunity to create a wonderful friend. Amir appreciates my ability to do that, maybe because he does it too! We constantly look for new friends, because in this world that's all you really have. It is your friends, family, and God. That's all you can rely on. Everything else will change, but there are a few folks who will be standing around your deathbed. THOSE are the folks you need to be grateful for!