The Blue Speckled Bowl

Who of us can really pinpoint the moment in our lives when a friendship gives birth? Thinking back, I cannot put my finger on the exact day or hour when I ”just knew” we’d be friends but I can tell you this, it started with the gift of a blue speckled bowl. 

That may sound very strange to some but my friendship with this beautiful lady grew wings of sorts when she gifted me with a blue bowl to do my baking in. That was some 30 odd years ago and to this day I can truthfully say that that worn blue speckled bowl is my very favorite. It has seen many a cake, loaf of bread, batch of cookies, picnic salad and much more fill its walls and every time I pull it from the cupboard I can see the face of the friendship that it formed. 

We were created in our Fathers image and we were meant to have relationships and friendships with others. That's just how God designed it. From David and Jonathan to Elijah and Elisha to Paul and Timothy and Ruth and Naomi, friendships demonstrate and model Gods great love for us.

I personally believe that in these days and times we are seeing a ”friendship famine” of sorts so everytime I look at my blue speckled bowl brimming with the next delight to come from my kitchen I'm reminded of the fullness of blessing of friendships that I have in my own life. But sadly, not all can say that. Society has found itself replacing flesh-and-blood relationships with digital friendships and long meaningful conversations with text messages. If you don't feel like I'm totally correct here then please, next time you’re dining out at a restaurant look around. How many people are engaged in what looks to be meaningful conversation and how many are on their cell phones not making eye contact with their dinner partners? What these kinds of so-called ”relationships” do is quite the opposite in reality. They isolate! 

I want to plead with you to live your days out from here on valuing the gift of friendships and true relationships. We were made to reflect our wondrous Creator and ”wired” to have fullness of relationships. To quote pastor and theologian, Jonathan Edwards. . . . ”The well being and happiness of society is friendships. Tis the highest happiness of all moral agents”. We have strayed from the path of this happiness that is supposed to be experienced vertically with God and horizontally with one another. 

In Hebrews we are called to ”exhort one another everday” and to ”encourage one another”. (Heb 3:13) 

The sheer truth of the matter on friendships is that they ”half our sorrows”. We need friends and companions to sit down with us on our dark days and remind us of Jesus’ heart for sinners and sufferers. One of the most amazing things we can give or receive during those times is the gift of companionship. Friends and companions can cut those sorrows in half by simply being there and encouraging us with the right words.

Friendship and solid relationships also point us to the cross because on the cross is where we see displayed the greatest act of love and friendship that was ever known. Jesus said, ”Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends”. (John 15:13)

Let's get the order of things back in order! We must treasure God above friendship, thank God for friendship and enjoy and display God through friendship. 

So, as today in preparation for my families Easter dinner I look once more at my blue speckled bowl and think what ingredients it will hold this time as I use it. My friends’ face once more comes to my mind as do the words; kindness, compassion, sacrifice, selflessness, time, caring, trust, and love. All amazing ingredients to a great deal of happiness and joy. I'm thankful for the gift of my friend and for every time I'm reminded of that gift because of a blue speckked bowl.