Let's talk about Doorknobs for just a little bit.
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| Photo courtesy of Royalty Free Fotosearch.com |
There are lots of different kinds of doorknobs.
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| Photo courtesy of Royalty Free Fotosearch.com |
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| Photo courtesy of Royalty Free Fotosearch.com |
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| Photo courtesy of Royalty Free Fotosearch.com |
And when we are looking for hardware for our doors we can spend AGES looking for just the right style.
Some doorknobs are all "sparkle and shine" like that glass doorknob.
Some of them are all "cozy and warm" like the blue and white ceramic one.
Still others are all "sleek and efficient" like the metal one.
There is a style for everybody's taste.
And People are Just Like That Too.
Some are all "sparkle and shine".
Others are "cozy and warm".
While other folks are "sleek and efficient".
The people who surround us in our daily lives may be quite an eclectic bunch.
If you are like me, we may be friendly with many people.
But our actual FRIENDS are fewer in number.
This is never more poignantly apparent than when we really need somebody we can turn to during hard times.
That's when we "thin the herd" and select only the ones who are most reliable and trustworthy to share sorrows with.
During difficulties, we get real particular about who we turn to don't we?
We do so BECAUSE...
1. The people who are all sparkle and shine tend to be shallow.
2. All too often the cozy and warm ones are rather "opaque" emotionally and don't really seem to understand our troubles either.
3. And the sleek and efficient ones are all about the quick fix to the problem and they really don't want to sit and listen, cause they just don't have time.
This is when we need someone who understands us well and will hold hands with us when we cry.
Ok...I am just about to tie these loose threads together, so stay with me.
Just for a moment...please examine this next photo and then I'll link it to Storms.
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| Photo taken at the top of the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse in Daytona Beach, Florida |
It's not built like most of our doorknobs today.
This one is substantially different.
It is meant for someone who requires a sure grip.
And so NOW things should be coming together for you as I ask you to consider the needs of a Lighthouse Keeper.
A Round Metal, Glass or Ceramic doorknob would be useless to a Lighthouse Keeper who was working in a torrential rain.
And A flattened metal doorknob, no matter how pretty and sleek, would be even worse because it would slip right out of their hands causing all manner of dangers.
But this doorknob is heavy duty hardware and will pretty much "hold hands' with you when you reach for it.
Even with gloves on a person could use this doorknob and safely manage to secure the door.
As listed in the caption of this photo, it was taken at the top of the The Ponce DeLeon Lighthouse in Florida. (It's been around since 1867 and as you can well imagine, this lighthouse has endured many a Stormy Night.)
Can you imagine how many times this doorknob has been held by the Lighthouse Keepers during gale force winds?
Can you imagine how grateful the Keepers were for the reliability of this Heavy Duty Hardware Doorknob?
I bet you are ahead of me right about now and you realize that we aren't talking about Lighthouses and Doorknobs anymore huh?
And you have probably already figured out that those stormy nights and gale force winds are just figurative language for the hard times in a persons life right?
So here's where I tie all the loose threads together:
Yeah...we are talking about Friends now.
There are lots of different types of friends.
Some are really more like casual acquaintances.
But others are the reliable trustworthy kind of friends.
They are the ones you rely one when you really need somebody to "hold hands with" during the storms of life.
I'll take the "heavy duty hardware type of friend" any old day of the week. There is a place for everybody on this planet, but during "stormy weather", I want a reliable trustworthy friend by my side.
We know that Abraham from the old Testament was God's Friend.
"And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God’s friend." '
James 2:23
I don't think it would be considered blasphemous to say that God Almighty is the ULTIMATE "Heavy Duty Hardware Type of Friend". And we have a scriptural precedent letting us know that we CAN be His Friend.
But Scripture also talks about the importance and blessings of Earthly friends. Here are just a few of verses that mention Friends.
"A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
Proverbs 17:17
Proverbs 17:17
"Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; so does the sweetness of a friend's counsel that comes from the heart." Proverbs 27:9
"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!" Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
"A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."
Proverbs 18:24
May your life be blessed with the Heavy Duty Hardware Type of Friends.
In Him,
Grace
4 comments:
Hi Grace .. thanks for coming over to my blog - and your comment re my mother. I thought you'd relate to this story .. my Mama said I was her Emmanuensis .. and once I'd worked out what she was talking about .. she had been confined to bed for 2 years at that point, and hadn't seen a newspaper, or radio, or tv .. yet out comes this word - and she had to spell it for me. And I forgot for about three weeks - and she said have you found out about it yet ... that is my mother!! And yes I am her Emmanuensis .. and I have been there for her ...
I guess I've been the substantial doorknob for her in her storm - thankfully she has a belief, a trust and has just accepted her situation .. I am blessed in that way ..
With thoughts - Hilary
Hello Grace, I like your analogies but it's best not to generalize because they don't hold true. As a born & bred CA girl, I can tell you I found my home city, LA, to be way too bright & shiny for my taste when I was in my twenties, just out of college & trying to compete. We have lived so many places, SoCal, Utah desert, KY, VA, NH, San Diego 3x... the interesting thing to me is the difference in the regional outlook of the people. I kinda think people are more defined by the regions in which they grew up or choose to reside than anything.
That said, I like the way you formulate your thoughts and photos.
Hilary,
Once again, you have taught me a new word, and a most wonderful one at that.
Thank you sharing the word and the story about your Moma.
And it means even more to me that you referenced being the substantial doorknob in her storm.
All Good Things to YOU and YOUR MOM. I am so happy that she has a belief and a trust.
In Him,
Grace
California Girl,
Wow you HAVE lived in a lot of places.
You mentioned that you had lived in San Diego 3 times. I am assuming that you know Mission Beach?
My In-Laws used to own a condo on Mission Beach (it was right in the strip of land between the bay and the ocean). I LOVED that place. It was 3 stories and there was an amazing view from the roof.
Alas, they sold it about 10 years ago.
Visiting memory lane here, but you got me to thinking...I was very fond of eating at a place overlooking the ocean. You may know exactly what I am talking about too...it was upstairs at Joe's Crabshack. And my favorite time to be there was just about sundown.
Watching the ocean grow dark once the sun went down was sort of like watching Nature pull a blanket around her shoulders.
Very comforting to me to observe.
Anyway...thanks for visiting and thank you for the compliment about my thoughts and photo's.
I appreciate you stopping by.
Hope that we visit again soon.
In Him,
Grace
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