Jonathan Rich = One Year Better
On birthdays in our house, we like to say you're not merely one year older but one year better.
This weekend, my great friend Jonathan Rich officially became one year better, and I'd like to take a paragraph or so to publicly give my thanks for his friendship. I'm fortunate to have some very close and dear friends in my life, the kind of folks who know your worst and like you anyway. The kind of people who exemplify in some way how God himself must look at me. That's what J.Rich is for me.
I am completely unworthy of a friend like Jonathan, but he is here anyway. And man, am I glad.
Jonathan and I have only been friends for a few years now, and we actually sort of orbited each other for a couple of years before that until, having enough of people telling him that he and I should meet, he called me up to have lunch at Weaver D's. We've been doing that pretty regularly since.
Since our first conversation over fried chicken, I have always felt a kinship with Jonathan, but I am also challenged by his devotion and obedience to the Lord's pull on his heart (and his life). He would tell you he is an idealist who sees things in mostly blacks and whites; I share some of that, but I tend to see a broader spectrum of grays, often caught sitting on fences. Talking with him is like a workout for my head and my heart, and I am always forced to pull more closely to this mysterious God that I am coming to know more deeply. We may not always agree 100%, but I know his heart and he knows mine (the good & the bad), so we don't have to.
J.Rich is younger than me, but in many ways he's a big brother. As a thinker, artist, visionary, and servant, he's raising the bar for me as an example even as his life points me towards Christ. I like that.
Maybe I'm gushing a bit here, but seriously, my life only has so many moments left, and I'd like to push hard in the time I have to do an increasingly better job of letting others know what they mean to me. Seems like a good thing to do these days.
So J. Rich, you're one year older, but mostly one year better. And I think that because of your friendship, I just might be, too.
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