2020 got closed and 2021 is here to bring us again in the surroundings of many people.
Last night we probably were surrounded by family and close friends, but the New Year’s Eve is also a time spend by many in the public sphere, for going to enjoy the festivities and firework.
Last year the transition from old to new brought a lot of unheard-of vandalism and violence on the streets and squares. We wonder what and how it shall be for this year.
With hate crimes on the rise and several social movements pulling the public to one or another group to go against some other group of people, we should seriously think about whom we want to associate to.
The number of students choosing different race friends and romantic partners is greater in schools that are more racially diverse, indicating that school segregation has a profound impact on young people’s social ties. But today we can see that lots of political groups want to avoid a mixture of race and religious groups in public and on television.
With meaningful friendships in sharp decline in an age of superficial acquaintances and lots of ‘social friends’ which are not really friends, we as Christians should be very careful about whom we accept as friend on Facebook or other social media platforms.
When we reflect on our lives, they are measured not by our incomes or good works, but by our relationships — by our friendships. This is true for everyone. The very condition of having friends is that we should want something else besides a ‘so-called friend” or what we would call in the 1950ies a companion, comrade, acquaintance, friend or close friend.
Friendship must be about something …
Those who have nothing can share nothing; those who are going nowhere can have no fellow travellers. Many will court you while you have much to give; when you need to receive, the number of your friends will be quickly diminishing; Often when people are in need that is the time when true friends come to light. When on the path to God, we should be careful who we take with us or who we join on which road.
From the first Daily Bible Readings of the previous days we should remember how the so-called friends of Job tried him to bring on other ideas about his relationship with God.
After Job had interceded for his friends, God restored his fortune — and then doubled it! All his brothers and sisters and friends came to his house and celebrated. First, many of them had accused Job that all his problems came to him because he did not worship God in the right manner. Let us be aware that we can encounter such ‘friends’ who even go so far telling us we even do not worship the right God and therefore we have so many problems.
In Job 42 we find the friends who told him how sorry they were, and consoled him for all the trouble God had brought him. Though really it was not God who brought misery to Job, nor to us. All what happens to us may happen because God allows it to happen, but it is not God Who causes it to happen.
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We wish you good friends and good times, in good health,
to continue your path of faith in 2021
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Preceding
Fragments from the Book of Job #1: chapters 1-12
