by Doug Christoffel
IHH Director

A recent letter from an old friend got me thinking about the "abundant life" Jesus promised us in John 10:10.

The letter writer, Bill Tidwell and his wife Laura were one of the first couples to befriend my young wife Diane and I when we became Christians in 1979. When I say "befriend," I mean the proactive kind of friendship that is very rare in the unchurched world, but all too often taken for granted in the church.

Here's an example of what I mean: One of the first times Bill and Laura were over in our living room, our record collection caught their attention. (Records = LPs, vinyl… 1979, remember.) Having just received Christ, our collection still included bands with subtle names like "Black Sabbath." A less proactive approach to friendship would have taken note of the issue but left it alone. After all, we barely knew each other. But Bill and Laura had picked up enough from Jesus to know that we needed help sooner rather than later. Suffice to say that our record collection received a pruning soon after, and we are much the better for it.

That's the kind of friendship the Bible is talking about when it says, "Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17). That is disciple making friendship, the kind through which God's abundant life flows. I'm talking about the kind of friend "who sticks closer than a brother" through happiness and heartbreak, triumph and tragedy, nearness and distance. That's the kind of friendship we have with Bill and Laura.

The thing about the abundant life is that it is balanced abundance. Its abundant goodness is counter-balanced with unavoidable, abundant sorrow. In order to have abundant richness, you have to risk abundant loss. The abundant goodness stacks up until you can't contain the joy unspeakable. But until you experience the other side of abundance, the true value of God's good gifts isn't fully recognized. When you have great friends, you can't help but have times of weeping with those who weep as well as times of rejoicing with those who rejoice. Jesus himself endured unimaginable grief and heartache for the joy that was set before Him, the joy of millions of saved souls. We, too must be willing to risk and sacrifice, to embrace both sides of the abundant life.

Let me close by quoting from my friend Bill's letter. His thoughts express the bitter-sweet passion that is the heart of Jesus' abundant life.

"Grudges are so heavy and discouraging.
Unforgiveness is such a heavy burden.
We must forgive each other and ourselves.
We must heal and be healed.
We must have compassion and love.
How will their wounds be bound if we won't reach out and touch the unclean and heal them?
How will they hear and be saved if we don't teach them?
How can they forgive themselves if we won't forgive them?"