“Mine be the love that in itself can find
Seed of white thoughts, the lilies of the mind,
Seed of that glad surrender of the will
Which finds in service self’s true purpose still.”
The secret of being a friend lives in the power to give and do and serve without thought of return. It is not easy. Wanting to have a friend is altogether different from wanting to be a friend. The former is a mere natural human craving; the latter is the life of Christ in the soul. Christ craved friendship, but he longed always to be a friend. Every life that came before him he desired to help and bless in some way. He never tired of the faults and imperfections of his disciples; he was not seeking mere pleasure for himself in them, but was striving to do them good. Hence he never grew tired of them. His interest in them was like that of a kindly physician in his patient.
Wherever the spirit of Christ is in a human heart this same desire is found. True friendship is unwearied in doing good, in serving and helping others. Yet it is only right that the other side of being a friend should have attention. We must not put the love and unselfishness of our friends to too sore a testing.
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