Bra

A friend of mine sent me this text message: “A true friend is like a good bra: hard to find, lifts you up, gives you support and always close to your heart. Send this to all your best bras.”

I found it amusing at first, but at the same time, realized that it is poignantly true. Then the faces of those precious friends I hold so dear flashed in my mind and had I only had sufficient load in my roaming mobile phone that time, I would have forwarded this to all of them back home.

Instead, I am writing this blog to let them all know (of course, you know who you are, guys!) that I appreciate each one of them. They have indeed been very good bras to me through all these years.

Last Sunday, I also found myself photographing the hymnal in church as we were singing the song “What a Friend we Have in Jesus” as I want to sing it again at home. It struck me that yes, Jesus fits all the description of a good bra, as well. It’s just that for the first criteria, i.e., hard to find, He is only in the sense that Someone like Him is quite exceptional and very rare, if not the most rare. Otherwise, He is not hard to find for those who earnestly seek Him.

Everyone who has allowed Him into his or her life will find in Jesus a present help in times of need, a faithful Provider and a relentless Lover. Always ready to forgive and most especially, never leaves His friends alone – never.

The danger of this is that sometimes, His followers tend to look at Him from a utilitarian point of view – they approach Him because they need Him, that sort of thing. This is human nature and even human friends are treated this way. How nice it would be if we all would approach Jesus not only because we need Him but because we want to – because He is also our GOD. And if we do, we will naturally view our human friends that way, too. It would be like wearing our bra not because they support and cover ‘em up but simply because we want it close to our hearts.