Bridge Over Troubled Waters by Simon and Garfunkel

It's a blessing to have a friend as devoted to us as the "narrator voice" in this song is to their friend. I know of what I speak. I have experienced having such friends. They have blessed me.

But this song, I think, at its core, expresses an aspiration we all have, even if we sometimes bury it beneath cynicism, self-glorification, and self-protection. We want to be this kind of friend to our friend, someone who's always there, who can be counted on for a listening ear, a compassionate shoulder, a warm embrace.

That kind of friend I haven't always been. In fact, I've been that kind of friend too infrequently. I pray for God's forgiveness, for the forgiveness of my friends, and for the empowerment of God's Spirit to be "a bridge over troubled waters" to those whose friendship means the world to me.

"7 Ways to Shorten the Distance Between You and Your Best Friends"

Some, maybe all, of this stuff is obvious. But in our increasingly mobile society, it's difficult to maintain long-term ties that bind.

The effort is worth it though. Having just one best friend is a blessing second only to salvation in Christ.