Today’s Theme: A friend I am thankful for.
“ Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2, NIV).
Last week many of us lost a friend. Matthew Perry died tragically from drowning. Perry played the beloved character, Chandler Bing, in the 1990’s sitcom, Friends. Chandler’s quirky personality and wry sense of humor endeared him millions of television viewers.
Though he portrayed a person who lived a charmed life on the small screen, Matthew Perry struggled with alcoholism and addiction behind the scenes. Like a revolving door, Perry moved in and out of treatment centers on many occasions. In a 2022 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Perry revealed that he almost died after his colon burst from drug overuse. Perry lamented, “I didn’t know how to stop.”
Thankfully, Matthew Perry had friends who stuck with him through the best and worst seasons of his life. For years, Perry languished in his attempts to carry the problem on his own. Sobriety, however, was made possible when Perry made the conscious decision to share his burden with those who had become friends of Bill W. (otherwise known as Alcoholics Anonymous).
It has been said that friends are the family you choose. Friends are the people you can always count on and show up for you in a moment’s notice. Friends support you through trying times and celebrate with you in good times. Friends lift your spirits when your heart sings, and they hold onto you when your heart breaks.
And what holds true of our human friendships applies especially to our friendship with God. The consensus of the Scriptures is that Jesus is a friend who sticks closer to us than a brother or sister. Jesus never abandons us when the storms of life assail. Jesus is the person who stand by us when our enemies strike.
Paul claimed that when we carry one another’s burdens, we fulfill the law of Christ. The law to which Paul refers is the great command of loving God and each other. For, the ways by which Jesus befriends us should reflect in our friendships with each other.
The Contemporary Christian band, Newsboys, echoes Paul’s sentiment in their 2009 song, My Friend Jesus:
What if everybody talked like my friend Jesus?
If everybody loved like my friend Jesus,
If everyone forgave like my friend Jesus,
It would give the world a new beginning.
For all the great things Matthew Perry did to help us remember him as an actor, his greatest legacy
may be his final request of us:
When I die, I don’t want “Friends”; to be the first thing that’s mentioned…I would like
“ Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2, NIV).
Last week many of us lost a friend. Matthew Perry died tragically from drowning. Perry played the beloved character, Chandler Bing, in the 1990’s sitcom, Friends. Chandler’s quirky personality and wry sense of humor endeared him millions of television viewers.
Though he portrayed a person who lived a charmed life on the small screen, Matthew Perry struggled with alcoholism and addiction behind the scenes. Like a revolving door, Perry moved in and out of treatment centers on many occasions. In a 2022 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Perry revealed that he almost died after his colon burst from drug overuse. Perry lamented, “I didn’t know how to stop.”
Thankfully, Matthew Perry had friends who stuck with him through the best and worst seasons of his life. For years, Perry languished in his attempts to carry the problem on his own. Sobriety, however, was made possible when Perry made the conscious decision to share his burden with those who had become friends of Bill W. (otherwise known as Alcoholics Anonymous).
It has been said that friends are the family you choose. Friends are the people you can always count on and show up for you in a moment’s notice. Friends support you through trying times and celebrate with you in good times. Friends lift your spirits when your heart sings, and they hold onto you when your heart breaks.
And what holds true of our human friendships applies especially to our friendship with God. The consensus of the Scriptures is that Jesus is a friend who sticks closer to us than a brother or sister. Jesus never abandons us when the storms of life assail. Jesus is the person who stand by us when our enemies strike.
Paul claimed that when we carry one another’s burdens, we fulfill the law of Christ. The law to which Paul refers is the great command of loving God and each other. For, the ways by which Jesus befriends us should reflect in our friendships with each other.
The Contemporary Christian band, Newsboys, echoes Paul’s sentiment in their 2009 song, My Friend Jesus:
What if everybody talked like my friend Jesus?
If everybody loved like my friend Jesus,
If everyone forgave like my friend Jesus,
It would give the world a new beginning.
For all the great things Matthew Perry did to help us remember him as an actor, his greatest legacy
may be his final request of us:
When I die, I don’t want “Friends”; to be the first thing that’s mentioned…I would like
to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker,
and the paramount thing [helped] people. That’s what I want.
That’s also what Jesus wants. From all of us.
That’s also what Jesus wants. From all of us.