I must admit I do spend more time thinking about family and friends during this time of year.
Of all the blessings on earth which God bestows upon us, these two must be at the top of the list.
Recently, we shared the commercial which honored Veterans, entitled “The Empty Chair.”
While I was researching that video/commercial, I discovered this one:
From the same company, yes, Guinness. I explained my feelings about sharing that video when I posted it, but I was not prepared to find another commercial with such a huge impact and message … from the same company. Yes, maybe I wish that Pepsi and Coke (or Cream Soda or Birch Beer) would make commercials like this, but, the fact that it was a beer commercial never really sank in, just as in the other “Veterans Salute” commercial. It reminds of a time when I was watching a movie with a Pastor, and, when the movie was over, I commented how I did not like the bad language in the movie. The Pastor told me that he had not even noticed the language. It wasn’t that he was exposed to so much bad language that he didn’t notice … it was that he was so wrapped up in the message and story in the movie … So, I guess that’s the same way about this commercial.
I discovered that the commercial first aired well over a year ago, but I never saw it.
I’ve always been a fan of wheelchair basketball, though I’ve never seen it in person.
This commercial hit me immediately, but I was unprepared for the way it ended. Totally. It was like one of those twist endings at the end of a movie that you never saw coming. This was exactly the same way. I was stunned.
It really made me think of the value of friendship. And, I mean true friendship. Those very few, trusted people who know everything about you … and, still like you.
The definition of “friendship” is this: “”The relationship between friends; kindness or help given to someone.” Sorry … I just can’t think of a better visual display I’ve seen, which personifies the meaning of true friendship, than what I saw at the end of this commercial.
I think of how important friends are. I have used the example often, and will use it again here:
Remember how the book of Job ends:
“And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10). That tells me pretty much enough how important friends are to us … and, how important we are to them.
Many times we have heard preachers mention the verse which begins, “Iron sharpeneth iron,” which is from Proverbs 27:17. But, how often do we hear the way that verse ends?
“… so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”
So, to honor true friends, everywhere, here is the commercial:
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