We love you, but you really need to become who we want you to be. I've heard that so many times in life that I've lost count. We love you, but... Only a few times have I encountered friends who loved me in spite of who I was. The first one that comes to mind is the love of my life who I married. The second is a friend that spanned a few years and a few states.
I want to be the kind of friend who loves people even when they're screwed up. I want to be the friend who points them towards the right path but will stand with them no matter what path they go down. It's the type of friendship I see Jesus having. He knew Judas was stealing from him, but he gave him a second chance. He knew Peter would deny him, but that didn't stop him from loving him. He knew I would screw things up, but he still loves me.
I count myself as fortunate. In 40 years I've had two humans who loved me in spite of myself. My prayer is that I could spend my remaining days loving five people the way that those 2 have loved me. If that were to happen , I believe I could hear "well done good and faithful servant." And then I could rest.
