In the Word Wednesday

And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. - 1 Samuel 18:1. 

What a wonderful definition of friendship..."Knit with the soul."

Knitting conjures up many images. The cozy warmth of a soft afghan wrapped around you. The snug feeling of slipping on soft knit mittens or socks. It's a warmth. A softness. A comfort to slip into anything that has been knit.

That is how Jonathan must have felt about his friendship with David. A bonding. A warmth. A feeling of comfort. Though very different, they still shared something that was spectacular. A friendship that knew no bounds.

Like knitting, the friendship probably didn't happen immediately. It surely started with one step or one stitch in the fabric that wove their lives together daily. I am sure that the stitches added themselves one by one as  Jonathan admired David's courage and wanted to be bonded with someone he respected and admired so much. 

Do you have friends that you feel are knit from the soul? Friends who are always there for you. There are so many kinds of friends. Friends who come and go in our lives who, for a short while, provide the comfort and friendship we need at that particular moment in our lives. If they step out of your life for whatever reason, you will still remember them with fondness as a distant memory and be thankful they were there for you at that moment you needed them to be.

Then there are those forever friends. The ones who know your deepest fears, your longings, your dreams. They are the ones who understand you the most and "get you" no matter what you say or do. They are the ones that will cry with you, laugh with you, and go the distance for you. Those are the friends who are knit with your soul. Those years may slip by and you may live far apart or right down the street. You may not talk like you did in years gone by, but you KNOW that you could pick up the phone right that very second and call them and you would pick up as if you had just spoke yesterday. 

Those friends are the ones we keep. The ones we respect. The ones we love. Those are the ones we should cherish, pray for and thank God for bringing them into our lives. 

Friends who are knit with the soul.