Friday, September 01, 2006

Meaningful Article: DROPPING IN ON A FRIEND (by Dr James Dobson)

When was the last time you had friends drop
in unexpectedly for a visit? For many of us it's
been entirely too long. There was a time when
families made a regular habit of packing into
the car and driving over to a friend's home for
an afternoon of good conversation and a piece
of apple pie. It was one of life's special little
pleasures.

I'll never forget the many times as a boy I
would hear a knock on the door and scurry to
see who was there. The screen would crack
open a few inches, and a familiar voice would
echo through the halls. "Is anybody home?"

Mom would rush to put on a pot of coffee and
for the rest of the afternoon we'd sit and talk
? about nothing and about everything.

Finally, it came time for our friends to leave, and we'd
hug them goodbye, encouraging them to drop
in again sometime. Sadly, that kind of intimacy
is difficult to achieve in today's fast-paced
world. The pressures and busyness of life
have all but destroyed the sense of community
that was once common among families and
friends.

We seldom ? if ever ? drop in on
friends unannounced. And even if we did,
they'd probably have to cancel a string of
appointments in order to be with us. Thus we
go about our days, careening through life,
wondering why we don't have very many close
friendships.

Let me encourage you to take some time
out of each week to get together with friends.
Reach out to the people in your neighborhood.
I can't think of a better way to spend an
evening.

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