We have some friends in town this weekend that have traveled from Tulsa to stay with us. One of those friends is my best friend from college. He was the best man at my wedding, former band mate and former adventure and misadventure partner, Mark Johnson. This article is dedicated to him.
There was a time in my life that I thought more highly of myself than I ever should have. I know you’re having a hard time imagining that!
I still probably think more highly of myself than I should, but the Lord has no shortage of scenarios or situations or people that He has sent to bring me down a notch, or many notches.
I once thought that I would be the ideal husband, but then I got married and learned that I was far from it and that I had and still have much to learn.
I once scoffed at people who had a difficult time keeping their children under control in public. I even said things like, “When I have children, they will NEVER behave THAT way.” Oh, the pain of foolish words spoken without knowledge!
I once believed that I could be a rock star. I can’t remember the conversation word-for-word, but here is the gist of a conversation I had with my friend Mark in college,
“I think we can make a run at being a real band.”
Mark laughs, then says, “Oh, are you serious?”
I, with a confused and angry face, reply, “Yes. Why couldn’t we?”
Mark replied simply (as I remember it) without tone or inflection, “Because we’re not any good.”
I was devastated. I still am. I wasn’t devastated because of what he said, I was devastated because in his face I could see the truth. It was the moment that I realized that I would never be a rock star.
One of the many reasons why I love Mark; one of the many reasons why he’s a true friend, is because he tells me the truth. A true friend won’t tell you what you want to hear. A true friend tells you what you need to hear.
Peter once thought that he was an unmoving bastion of faith. Jesus told him otherwise. In Matthew 26:34-35, Jesus said to Peter,
34…“Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” 35 Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” All the disciples said the same thing too.
Peter and the other disciples all believed they were something more than they actually were. Within a matter of hours, they would all learn otherwise.
Jesus was the best of friends to his disciples. He never told them what they wanted to hear. He always told them what they needed to hear. But He didn’t stop there. He also developed them and He also develops us into the people He desires us to be.
Praise the Lord for true friends and praise the Lord for our greatest friend, the Lord Jesus.
Much Love,
Wes LeFlore (918) 607-8489 or huskerwes1@gmail.com
