Let me confess something: I overthink a lot of things. On one occasion a friend offered a very confusing observation about me, that the number of questions pinballing around my skull would dwarf that of almost every person he knows. Notice the keyword, questions, not answers. In the last couple of years, I have had a framework introduced to me, so that I better know how to ask these questions. Much like jazz, it is helpful to have a loose structure and the capacity to improvise in the midst of deep conversations.
Let me ask you a provocative question: How well-suited are you to take a punch from a friend?
Of course, I am not wondering if you are choosing abusive relationships and chalking it up to humility. Certainly, I am not imploring you to start and attend a kind of fight club that meets in the dingy darkness of a back alley. Instead, I am wondering whom you place yourself around and how you choose to interact with those nearest to you. What types of relationships do you have?
“If you can make a good friend, you should be able to disciple. On the other hand, inability to form close friendships is an absolute barrier to effectiveness in making disciples.” (Dennis McCallum) What kind of friend are you? Be encouraged that Jesus uses average people, with normal dispositions, and mediocre talent to build His eternal and everlasting Kingdom.
