"Unspoken Bond"

copyrighted by Art4Him Studios 2021 (2018 painting)

"A friend loveth at all times;" Proverbs 17:17

As I ponder on the above verse, I immediately think about my friendships throughout the years and even those friendships that I thought were special or real but were not. A true friend is there for you, through the special, fun times but also through those dark times in your life. I am thankful for the friends the LORD has given me that have stuck with me even through my darkest times. I am also thankful for those that were not there for me as it reminded me of what kind of friend I should be. It has made me wonder if I was not there for them through their darkest times. Have I stopped being their friends? No, because each friend that I have had and still have, hold a special place in my heart. I might not be close to them or even have contact with them, but there are times that the LORD will bring them to my mind and then He gives me the privilege to pray for them if I hear that they are going through a difficult time.
I have to ask myself a question, though. Am I there for my friends even through their darkest hours? Unfortunately, there have been times that I have not. I have asked the LORD for forgiveness and even at times, have asked for forgiveness from my friends.
When my girls were little, I loved seeing them interact with each other and with their friends as they played. There would be times, that they seemed like they were in their own little world and I would wish that I could visit it sometimes with them.
There is twelve and fourteen years difference between my youngest and my two older ones. As much as the two oldest were patient and good with their little sister, I am sure there were times that they needed their space from her. A friend of mine moved back to our home state when her second child was under a year old. My youngest and her second child were only two months apart. They almost immediately became best friends! Whenever my daughter, Samara was sad, her best friend knew how to get her to laugh. They always would look out for each other.
On one particular day, my friend and I had taken our little girls to the lake. I was able to take a picture of these two "besties" walking hand in hand on the shore of the lake. They were in their own little world, and again, I was wishing I could peek into this little world of theirs to see what had them so mesmerized.
This has been one of my favorite pictures of these two girls; so I had decided to paint this for my friend. As I worked on this painting I would pray for her and her family, but especially for these two girls as they had just entered adulthood a few years earlier. My prayer was that they would seek the LORD in their lives, making Him first place.
When I was trying to think of a title for this painting, I couldn't think of one that expressed the true meaning of it. I decided to ask my daughter, who this is about. I asked her when she looks at this memory, what comes to mind? All she could think of, was that their friendship was special...an Unbroken Bond.
Whenever I paint something, I love to apply a spiritual connotation to it. This painting reminds me of how our LORD wants our relationship with Him to be, that special unspoken bond. He wants to hold our hand as we walk through life. He loves us unconditionally and wants to guide us each step of the way. Just as Lindsay is showing Samara something that seems so important at that moment; that is what Jesus wants to do with us. I know I can get so caught up in the daily woes or busyness of life that I can easily lose sight at what is really important. Sometimes I think He just wants us to sit still, enjoy His creation and have that one on one with Him.
So whenever we feel that busyness catching up on us, remember to just sit down with your LORD and enjoy that quietness of His friendship with you as you have that "UNSPOKEN BOND" with Him!