We discussed the discipline of friendship yesterday. A few things really stood out.
- The men longed for friendship. Most of us didn’t have a best friend.
- Even though there is a longing for friendship, there isn’t enough value placed on friendship to really work at it.
- The men wanted someone who would just care about them and talk about what was going on in their lives.
My best friend is Kevin. We met during plebe summer. We see life very much the same way. I haven’t had any other friends like Kev, not even my brother. So in my experience, having a good friendship is very rare and I’m very lucky.
I ask myself, “How can I be a better friend?” I think it starts by going first. It starts by taking a risk. I’ve learned that I won’t connect with everyone, even other Christians. I’ve learned some people won’t like me. But that’s ok. It might hurt a little, but I won’t remember them.
So today I will go first and simply ask, “How are you?” and then listen.
