That You May Know

Faithful,
My Dear Friend...

I count your love and friendship throughout my pilgrimage as the true wealth that I possess. I long to express in this letter my gratitude for your fellowship. You have been there for me more times than I can remember. And even when you are not present, your acts of kindness in the past, our conversations around the fire and along the way, stay with me as a continual reminder of how blessed I am to have had a companion as you. This task set before me, to attempt to express how much our relationship means, will fail. I am unable to describe the measure of comfort and confidence and joy that I have received. If it were possible to withdraw my beating heart from my bosom and squeeze the emotion I feel, (that has been sown and cultivated by your love), onto parchment, I feel that even that gesture would fail to articulate my devotion toward you.

So many times you have proven true to your name. There have been dark days where you were the sun breaking through the dismal gray of my depression. At times I have fallen in my pride and could not lift myself, but you graciously gave your hand and helped me to my feet. It was you that would encourage me in the Lord. There were times of financial distress where you aided me with food, transportation, money and a place to lay my weary body. When I was so full of myself, so bullish and boastful, you took bow in hand and drove the arrows of rebuke deep into my soul. You have mingled your tears with mine. Our laughter has raised the rafters, making us public spectacles. Our charges before the gates of Hades, swords drawn together in battle, our mutual sorrows over our fallen comrades, our plans to do well always by our family, our unspoken oaths of friendship! Oh my soul! What a gift from Heaven you are and have always been. I count every possession, every achievement, and every accolade as a lesser thing compared to your friendship.

It was you that shared in my convictions at Vanity Fair, together we tag-teamed Talkative to expose him for the deluded, nominal follower that he was. Our conversations still resonate in my ears. I still contemplate on subjects that we have discussed in the past, for here you were faithful as well, faithful to redeem the time. If we spoke of it, it mattered. All your insights, wisdom and humility are stored in my heart and mind. They feed me and direct me. And always, you listened as my own thoughts became sounds, words articulated and critiqued before you. This has been the school that has made me the man I am today. I have stood on the shoulders of giants as yourself My stature, my growth, my influence are only distillations of what you have poured into my life. I feel as though I should footnote everything I write, with your name. Any attention men give me is, unbeknownst to them, simply a reflection of you. Every good deed I manage to effect adds to your reward in Heaven. I can take no credit for anything I do. Without you, I am nothing. The heights that I have flown are solely the result of your continuing influence in my life.

All of this is because you have always chosen to be more like our Lord than yourself You lost your life long ago only to find it. It is Christ in you that has always ministered to me. Your love and faithfulness has always been and remains a joyful abandon to Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. And in turn, you have given your very life, loving your neighbor as yourself and imitating our Savior in your selfless devotion.

I know that this embarrasses you. You would rather hear me praise God for all that He has done- here you are faithful once more. But we are to thank Him who gives us all good things. That is what I am doing. I know that you are who you are to me, because of Him.

What can I say regarding these things?! Your imitation of Jesus leaves my without hope of being able to thank you in any measure satisfactory to soul. My only consolation is that you will obtain that which you most desire. Yes, one day you will stand before our Lord and King and hear, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." That will be my happiest day too.

I can only hope that all others that have escaped the City of Destruction and have started on their pilgrimage to the Celestial City will, by God's favor, be joined to such a companion as yourself Indeed, my heart is fixed and my mind persuaded that I will endeavor to follow your good example in loving others as I have seen you do. Your imitation of our Lord spurs me on to this good work. As the apostle Paul has said, "I will gladly spend and be spent for the sake of the brethren.

As someone has written and sung in the earlier seasons of our pilgrimage:

Seasons change, days go by...
People come and people go,
Though our paths lead us apart.
They will meet one day, I know.

For I owe you, so much dear friend,
All those treasured times.
And you've made me, a richer man,
Having had you in my life.

Your fellow traveler,

Christian

By Laurence Windham