Day 9

Faithful friends are a well-built shelter;
when you find one, you find a treasure.
Faithful friends are priceless;
their value is beyond counting.
Faithful friends are the essence of life,
a blessing for those who fear Yahweh.
Those who fear Yahweh treat others with respect;
and their friends will behave the same way.

Sirach 6:14
(Sirach was written by a Jewish scribe who lived in Jerusalem in the early third century BC. His name was Jesus, son of Eleazar, son of Sirach. He is often called simply "Ben Sira.")

A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

"A primary activity in spiritual direction is simply listening, being a sounding board on whom others can try out ideas, oprinions, or self-criticism...This is almost a natural response to deep friendship. By making such friendship spiritual by a specific agreement of both parties, you will truly find "a treasure beyond price and a life-saving remedy". (Father William A. Meninger from The Committed Life).

Read the passage from Sirach slowly, pausing a few seconds at the end of each line.
Take a moment today and consider who among those you know might be your faithful friend.
Email or call that friend and ask if they might act as a spiritual director if even for just this one time.
Consider an idea, opinion or self-criticism that you might express to your friend and ask for their feedback.
Acknowledge their feedback refraining from the urge to agree or disagree.
Offer your response to this feedback in prayer perhaps using the statement "Creator God, pour forth your Wisdom on me and grant me insight and understanding, amen."
Pastor Patty Fox 40 days with 40 Christian mystics

I couldn't get through any aspect of my life without my friends; they are the most precious gift from God. My closest friend, Lindsay has been on my life for 34 years and knows me better than anyone- there's no way I could be anything but myself with her. I trust her honesty and counsel and she makes me laugh my bum off!
This weekend I have the utter privilege of spending in the company of two much newer friends, Tracy and Alison, who I met through training for ministry. The three and a half years we've spent together have been some of the toughest we've each experienced, but our friendship has kept us strong through it all. We're completely honest with each other, yet hold one another with such love and respect (well...mostly, we do tend to tease  Alison). Most importantly we laugh together. There's no facade, no barriers. Like when we're before God there can be no pretence or inauthenticity.