The Friend

Have you seen these commercials for Lyft and Uber? They're almost identical, which makes me wonder if they hired the same ad agency, but that's beside the point. In these ads, all we see is a phone screen, with text popups. Someone types, "I'm here for you." The person, presumably holding the phone, replies, "Thanks, man. It's been rough lately." The other responds, "I'm outside. I'm your Lyft/Uber driver."

I guess it's supposed to be amusing, but with the level of anxiety and depression prevalent in our society, it's more a commentary of the times. We're seeking any connection we can find, even with a complete stranger, because we feel so alone.

Proverbs 18:24 says, "A man of too many friends comes to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." I'm not sure the writer of proverbs had our technology-dependent society in mind, but it fits. A man may have hundreds of facebook friends and thousands of twitter followers, but still he comes to ruin, alone and disconnected from the human friendship. But there is a friend that is reliable and steady, one he can turn to in times of trouble.

Do you have that friend? We all need one. Not hundreds or thousands. One, or at most a few. We are social beings, created in God's image for perfect community with Him, first and foremost. But don't miss the fact that God created Eve because it was not good for Adam to be alone.

Teenagers are ruled by their peer groups. It's part of their emotional and cognitive development to figure out where they fit in a circle of friends first, and the wider world second. We don't quite know where we fit in the world without that peer group. They help us know ourselves better, too. The fact that we're ten, twenty, thirty years passed high school doesn't mean we need them any less.

Winter doldrums sap us of emotional strength and physical energy. We want to curl up and hibernate, with fuzzy socks and a cup of tea. But getting out into community with others can be more important in winter than any other time of year, because it is those friendships that will chase depression away the same way the sun chases the cold of winter.

Feeling lonely today? Reach out. Call a friend. Then call your Lyft driver to take you to meet your friend for coffee.