Best Friends

Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. (Psalm 146:3 NIV)

When she was right around three years old, my granddaughter, Cecelia began learning about the concept of "best friends."  Imagine my utter and absolute joy when she snuggled up to me and said, "Kaymee, you are my BEST FRIEND!"  Wow!  Not her Opah whom she obviously adores... not her "other" grandma (yay!)... not even her mommy or daddy.  Nope.  ME.  I was her BEST friend!

Well, my bubble burst shortly thereafter when she was snuggled into her Opah and I overheard her say, "Opah, you are my BEST friend!"  Then another day we were talking about her day at daycare and she told me about some little boy who was her "best friend."  I couldn't take it anymore... I said, "But I thought I was your best friend."  She said, "You are, but I have lots and lots of best friends!"

And she does.  Whenever Cecelia interacts with another person, she is there.  She makes them feel like they are the center of her life.  Her little friends seek her out each week at church and are disappointed when she is not there.  When she is with me, I am her favorite grandma, but when she is with her Nanna, Nanna is her favorite grandma.  And I am absolutely ok with that.

Lately, Cecelia has been making a distinction between her BFF's.  Someone who dances with her is her "dancing BFF."  Someone who reads with her is her "reading BFF."  If you wear the same color green that she happens to be wearing, you will be her "green BFF."  Yesterday, I put a braid in her hair and put one in mine as well so that I could be her "braid BFF."

We can never have too many BFF's.  I wish I were more like Cecelia in that regard.  I wish I could make each person I interact with feel as important and special as they each are.  I wish I could focus more on the areas we have in common than what makes us different.

But the most important reason to have a lot of BFFs is because people disappoint.  And when they do, we will have others in our lives to help us move on.  So at the top of our BEST FRIEND list, we need to put our Lord and Friend and Brother, Jesus.  Because he will never, ever dissapoint us.  He's always got our back.  And if every person in our life deserts us, he will not.  It's the best thing I've found about being a Christian.  I am never truly lonely.  And my God always makes me feel as special as I am.

Lord Jesus, my Friend and Brother,
Help me to make everyone I meet today my best friend.  May I make them feel every bit as special as and wonderful as I know they are.  Amen.