The Tie That Binds

 

We hadn’t spoken a single word or had any interaction since we saw each other over eight years ago at a mutual friend’s memorial service. And it had been nearly thirteen years since we worked together closely and shared the daily ups and downs of our personal lives with each other. But our two-and-a-half-hour phone call this past week proved that some ties are not easily broken. 

My former boss and I have a long history. Over fifty years ago, when I was just a teenager, she married my youth pastor and they began their ministry serving God together in our small-town church. With different personalities, she and I were never best friends; but we had mutual appreciation for each other and a shared love of God. We made many good memories before they left our church and started a new church of their own. 

When I was looking for a job more than twenty years later, God graciously steered me to apply for a job at our local hospital . . . only to discover that my new boss would be my former youth pastor’s wife. Despite the necessary adjustments to our new roles, we worked well together and were able to share more than just work life with each other. Six years later when I returned to my favorite job as a fulltime homemaker, we parted on good terms and went back to living separate lives. 

But when we talked on the phone last week, it seemed as if no time at all had passed since our last conversation. I’ve experienced this before with other Christian friends, so I know that this is a result of the grace of God. Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three have gathered in My name, I am there in their midst.” And I have seen this happen many times. Shared beliefs invite the presence of the Holy Spirit, who binds God’s people together despite distance or lapse of time.  

I don’t know how long it will be before my friend and I will speak again. We both live full lives and continue to serve God in separate towns as he gives us opportunities. But I do know that whether we ever speak again or see each other again on this earth, we will spend eternity together in God’s presence because we have both chosen to follow Jesus while living here. 

I’m reminded of the first verse of a hymn from my childhood and early adult life that we always sang each month at the end of a Sunday service that included taking communion. We would join hands across the aisles and celebrate the tie that binds all Christians together . . . the love we share for God and for each other. It truly is a little bit of heaven on earth! And that’s a tie that will never be broken, but will carry over into eternity.