Speak to God as one friend speaks to another.
–Annotation 54, The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola
As one friend to another,
I gotta say,
I love that you call me your friend
and tell me I abide in God
the way you do.
I know, because we’ve been friends
since I was knit together in my mother’s womb,
you are true to your word:
you never leave or forsake me.
Your love is unconditional;
that means no “if” can undo it.
So, when I read that I’m your friend if I keep your commands
–even when those commands are summed up in loving God, others, and myself–
I gotta say, it isn’t true.
I’ve broken that commandment a zillion times,
and you never stopped being my friend.
When I read “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love”
it sounds like you’re saying
if I don’t keep your commands, I won’t remain in your love.
That’s not true.
Wherever I go, you are there….
The Lost Sheep…
Romans 8…
Jacob at Luz…
The Runaway Bunny…
As one friend to another,
I gotta tell ya,
reading the Bible and listening deeply to hear what you meant
is a bit of work.
Thankfully, I’m not reading it alone.
I wonder what it would be like to read the Bible
without the fear of abandonment.
I walk with Jesus,
and he walks with me.
I rest with Jesus,
and he rests with me.
I speak to Jesus,
and he speaks to me,
as one friend to another. …
I laugh with Jesus,
and he laughs with me.
I hide from Jesus,
and he knows where I’ll be.
I see my Jesus,
his loving eyes see me,
as one friend to another.
—One Friend to Another, Jon Guerra
