The Power of One PrayerSample

A BIT OF A TOAD

A good friendship takes time, effort, and sensitivity, but a healthy friendship is not one-sided. For instance, how would you feel if you had a friend—let’s call her Amelia—who only comes around when she wants to borrow something—like your fondue pot, designer sunglasses, or a car with a full gas tank? Amelia asks, “Could you babysit while I get the polish freshened on my toenails? Oh, and I need to unload big-time since my boss has become this miserly, manipulative, and mean-spirited mule of a man. Oh, and would you mind helping me with my daughter’s costume for the school’s talent show? This year, she’s a singing toad.” These might not be outrageous things to ask of a buddy, and yet, if that’s all Amelia ever came calling for, wouldn’t you think your friend was a bit of a toad, too? Why? Because you want a relationship in which someone not only needs you but loves you. Wouldn’t you think Amelia’s brand of friendship wasn’t intimate or real? Christ would like to be our friend—a real one. And if we only pray to Him, begging for a better job, better health, and a bigger house, might we not be sending the same message that we’re more interested in the “getting” than the loving?

Prayer: Lord, please help me love You as a real friend and not just for what You can give me. Amen.