I miss...

I miss being a kid, I miss being innocent, I miss not having much to worry about, I miss the days of hanging out with friends from morning to evening, I miss the days filled with video games from wake up to bed time, I miss the cheesy birthday parties with goofy gifts, I miss showing up to play baseball and win or lose you still got to do something fun afterward, I miss the innocent crushes, I miss having my day planned out for me, but most of all I just miss how easy things were. I wish I had days that were carefree and I wish that the consequences of my disobedience were not as great as they are today. I wish I could go back and enjoy all my favorite moments over again. I do not want to go back in time to fix things or do things differently, I just want to relive the great memories. My scars make me who I am today but the good experiences will only be memories. I am thankful for the memories I have with good friends, with old friends, and even the friends that I will never see again. I think about the friends that I do have and am so glad that they are there for me. I have one particular friend in Arizona whom I would not trade for anything. I get along with her so well and even though we do not hang out or talk much, we have a great time when we do hang out. We met junior year and we spent some time together and those were probably our most fun times together. Senior year we talked a little bit and even had a class together which was fun, she got in trouble a lot which was always hilarious but through all that I most enjoyed getting a call or text asking for help on the homework. Sometimes I tend to think of myself as not a very good friend but something she wrote in my yearbook senior year has stood with me through the years and I think it has been the core of why I do not give up on some people very easily. She wrote, "Joe, you are such an amazing friend, even when I am not and it means a lot." I think that is what having friends is all about, even when you are treated bad (intentionally or unintentionally), you stick with those people through whatever it is and you try to not lose touch with them because they will impact you more than you could ever imagine.

There are many different examples throughout the Bible of true friends and standing up for each other. We see division among friends as well as reconciliation, we see people betrayed and people saved, it is truly amazing the life lessons that can be found in the Bible. One of the great examples of friendship is between David and Jonathan. Jonathan covered for David when Saul was trying to kill him and he did exactly as David asked. We see that Jonathan practically put his own life on the line for his best friend and to find out if his dad really intended to kill him. In 1st Samuel 20:12-17, they make a pact and it is a lifelong, once in a lifetime agreement to always be friends no matter what happens. Jonathan wants David to understand that no matter what his father wants, he will always be on his side and he will do his best to protect him. These friends shared a special bond that not many people are able to for fear of mistrust or just simply being insecure. If David and Jonathan had never seen each other again, they would still have the memories of their childhood together and they would never forget each other. At times, it is difficult for us to get along with our friends or with other people in general but God has placed people on earth that we can trust and that we can open up to if we allow ourselves to. We all have our own perception of what life should be like for ourselves and a lot of times we chase after that while leaving others behind. Do not leave your friends in the dust as you continue to grow. Share what is going on and allow them to provide insight or come along with you on the journey because you never know what they can do to help. Instead of missing the days when things were great, carry on the tradition and good times by keeping people in your life whom you can really appreciate and hopefully invest in as well. Always be thankful for the people that you have and never give up on those who have been troublesome but you know you can rely on.

Thanks for reading, hope you all are having a great day. Let me know if you need prayer for anything and please continue to pray for me.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson