1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother… Philemon 1:1 (NIV)
One of my favorite baseball stories has nothing to do with baseball. Mickey Mantle tells a story of when him and friend, and player, Billy Martin went on a hunting trip on the property of a farmer friend of Mantle’s. They arrived there early and Mantle got off the truck to notify the farmer that they were there to hunt. The farmer said no problem but asked if Mantle would do a favor for him. The farmer had an old mule that was real sick and the farmer wanted to put it out of its misery but he didn’t have the heart to shoot his favorite mule. So he asked Mantle if he’d stop at the barn and put the poor animal out of his misery. Mickey agreed but thought he would play a practical joke on Billy Martin as well as do a favor for his friend. So Mickey stormed out of the house, jumped into the truck hurled a few colorful words at the farmer and told Billy that he refused to let them hunt. As they drove past the barn Mickey said, “I’ll show that blankedy-blank! I’m going to go in that barn and shoot his favorite mule! You can’t do that to Billy Martin and Mickey Mantle!” He threw the truck into reverse and skidded to a stop in front of the barn, leveled his gun at the mule and “bang!” shoots the mule dead. As he’s checking to make sure the mule is dead, he hears two gun shots from outside the barn. He runs out to find Martin with his rifle over his shoulder. Mickey yells at Martin, “What are you doing?” Martin yelled back, “We’ll show that farmer! I just took out two of his cows!”
Though I don’t condone shooting other people’s property or following someone into doing wrong, I have to respect the spirit of brotherhood exhibited in this story. It’s that mindset that says, “Through thick and thin I’m with you. Through hell and high water you won’t be alone. If you’re outnumbered in a fight I’ll be there fighting alongside you. If your world has fallen apart I’ll be there to help you pick up the pieces.” It’s loyalty in friendship. Gangs celebrate it but how do we as the church model it?
Paul was a prisoner and there was Timothy with him. If you found yourself in a shameful position do you have the kind of friends that will be there or be gone? The prodigal’s son had friends when he had money but was alone when he had none (actually he wasn’t alone, he had pig friends). So do you have fair weathered friends? Or a better question: what kind of friend are you? Because, ultimately you get what you give.
Questions to consider:
What is a good friend?
Honesty time: What kind of friend are you?
What can/will you do today to be a better friend?
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