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HOW
TO BECOME INSTANTLY "SPIRITUAL"
12-21-08
What is the most desperate human craving of all? It is the need for
simple friendship.
What is, therefore, the greatest spiritual act we can perform? It is
simple friendship.
If you have ever thought yourself unimportant, never do that again if
you have simply been available to someone as a true friend. It is the
greatest spiritual act we can perform.
If you have ever felt yourself to be "unspiritual" because you could not
believe everything your "spiritual" associates are able to accept, never
do that again if you have been a trusted friend to one person. You are
as spiritual as anyone on the planet. The most anyone can do in this
life is to be a friend to someone.
Why do I say these seemingly exaggerated things? Because I was once
saved by simple friendship and I have observed that everyone else has
the same deep need for it that I experienced at that time in my life. I
have experienced the transforming power of simple friendship.
I had good parents but I was a non-conforming teenager. I was expelled
from school in the 10th grade. I had taken up smoking and from the age
of fifteen had sneaked out to drink beer and moonshine. I couldn't buy
legal liquor but I knew where to go and buy moonshine. I was sure headed
for trouble.
Why couldn't my good parents save me? It is part of a teenager growing
up to start the process of becoming independent and moving away from the
ways of your parents. I was actually in conflict with many of their
beliefs. They had refused to let me use the family car because I was
dating a girl they didn't think was good for me.
An old man who lived down the street didn't know any of these
inter-family facts and when he heard me telling his kids I had no car,
he called me over to where he was sitting and said, "I will let you
borrow my Olds 88 once for every time you go to church with me and sing
with my wife." I quickly became the most religious boy in downtown
Watering Trough!
He actually trusted me with his car. He didn't tell me not to drink in
it or to drive slowly. He just said, "I know you are an intelligent man
(he actually called me a "man"!) and will take care of it."
He could barely read and write and milked cows for a living. He was
poor. One night he confessed his illiteracy to me and asked if I would
read the Bible to him. I did. He would sit and cry as I read and
sometimes he would take an old wadded up handkerchief out of his pocket
and wipe his eyes as he walked the floor and shouted praises to God over
something I had read.
One night he said, "Son, you've built up a lot of days to use the car.
It's not right for you to sit here at night reading to me when you can
go and see that girl." I had grown to love him so much that I could
honestly answer, "Brother Hubert, don't worry about it. I enjoy reading
to you. Just to see how good it makes you feel makes me feel good."
That old semi-illiterate man saved my life with simple friendship. It
took me years to realize it and to see that there is no more spiritual
act than to simply be a friend.
If you still need to validate what I have written this morning, ask
yourself, "When I am upset and don't know what to do, who do I turn to?"
Your answer will be, "A trusted friend." It is the most powerful
spiritual truth you will ever realize.
All you need to do to be deeply spiritual is to quit trying to be deeply
spiritual and just be a faithful, loyal friend.
~~~~~
Merry Christmas to all my friends.
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