"If a friend is in trouble, don’t annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it." ~Edgar Watson Howe

"Only Luke is with me."  These are the words penned by the Apostle Paul to Timothy (2 Tim. 4:11), as Paul wrote to the young evangelist from a Roman prison.  It was the last of Paul's letters.  Although we have no inspired record of Paul's death, most historians agree that he was beheaded in Rome in the mid-60's - shortly after writing this letter.

Last words are always important.  And as I read the end of 2 Timothy, especially verses 9 through 22, Paul's reflective thoughts are moving.  Especially that short sentence mentioning Luke - "Only Luke is with me."  

Our Wednesday evening study in Acts last night turned my thoughts to Luke.  As we began chapter 27, that little pronoun "we" appeared again.  As the writer of Acts, Luke tells us when he is involved in the action by using that simple indicator.

Paul was a prisoner, and was being sent with other prisoners to Rome.  It was curious to me that Luke was joining him - why would the Roman authorities even allow Luke to accompany Paul under these circumstances?  From my reading, it appears that it was unheard of in this age for a prisoner to be allowed to have companions, and I found only two ways that the Roman authorities would have permitted this - either Luke (and Aristarchus, who also accompanied Paul to Rome) would have to take the position as Paul's slaves, or Festus (the procurator before whom Paul had his final hearing in Acts 25) allowed it, believing in Paul's innocence, and thinking that by showing kindness to Paul, Caesar would look favorably upon Festus.

Regardless of why it was allowed, to me the more pressing question is why would Luke WANT to accompany a band of prisoners on a dangerous voyage by ship?  I think the answer to that is found in Paul's statement of 2 Timothy 4:11 - "Only Luke is with me."  Those five words speak volumes.  As Paul concludes his letter to the Colossians, he mentions Luke in verse 14 as sending greetings, along with Demas.  Likewise, in Paul's letter to Philemon (vs 24), he sends greetings from Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke. But by the time we get to the end of Paul's last letter, we learn that Demas had forsaken Paul, going back to the ways of the world.  Others had traveled to various areas, likely to preach the gospel, and that "Only Luke is with me."

There's a lot we can say about Luke.  Luke is the only gospel writer to give us the account of the birth of John the Baptist, as well as the birth and early life of Jesus.  Only in Luke's gospel can we read the life-changing parables Jesus taught of the Good Samaritan, the rich fool, and the wonderful trio of lost and found - the lost sheep, lost coin, and prodigal son.  Without Luke, we wouldn't know about the rich man and Lazarus, nor would we have insight into the conversation Jesus had with the thief on the cross.

But what I want to focus on here is that Luke was Paul's constant friend.  He could be counted on.  He would not leave, no matter what life brought.  He was willing and eager to go through the storms of life to love and support his friend, even at his own peril.

I hope you have a friend like Luke.  I am blessed with several.  But more important than having that kind of friend, I need to ask myself am I that kind of friend to others?  Can I be counted on?  Do others look at me as someone they can call on to help them weather the storms of life?  When one of my friends is in a bind, are they immediately comfortable dialing my number, or do they hesitate?  When asked if I would accompany them through a difficult journey, perhaps putting myself in peril, would my friends automatically think of me as the friend who would do that for them?

I've written a lot lately about our relationships with one another - being kind, understanding, looking beneath the surface, building relationships, and opening ourselves up to others.  As I continue to think about that, and strive to grow in those areas, I now add another dimension.  I want to be a Luke, don't you?  I can think of no greater compliment or blessing than to have just one person say, "Only Tracy is with me."

"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares." ~Henri Nouwen

"Sometimes I think it should be a rule of war that you have to see somebody up close and get to know him before you can shoot him." ~M*A*S*H, Colonel Potter

The feeder hangs in front of our kitchen window, and I watch them in awe every time we sit down at the table to eat.  The hummingbirds.  Our feeder has four holes - it is quite capable of serving four hummingbirds at any given time.  And yet, they fight.  Sometimes they spend so much time trying to keep each other away from the feeder, that it appears they actually feed very little.

This behavior fascinates me, so I did some reading about hummingbirds.  As observed, hummingbirds are not very social at all - they live very solitary lives, coming together only to mate.  Their mating ritual typically takes four seconds, after which the female will build a nest to care for her young, while the male leaves to pursue other interests.  Hummingbirds are very aggressive, and will fight each other to protect their "territory."  Female hummingbirds will become quite aggressive toward any male who approaches her nest.

Solitary.  Alone.  And while God created them this way for a purpose, from a human perspective, it is quite sad.  When we are sitting at our kitchen table observing their aggressiveness toward each other, I often say to Jeff, "Why can't they just get along?"

In stark contrast to our backyard hummingbird friends, we have two other feeders that contain birdseed, and these feeders are frequented by several Red Cardinals.  These birds behave quite differently - sometimes we will see three or more birds perched on one feeder, sharing a meal together.

Further reading on Cardinals was fascinating as well.  I learned that Cardinal pairs mate for life, and stay together year-round.  During their courtship, the male will bring food to the female and feed her beak to beak.  After mating, this feeding ritual often continues while the eggs are in the nest.  Cardinal couples sometimes sing together before nesting, and when building the nest, they also work together - the male will bring materials to the female, and she will do most of the building.  As many as four broods can be raised each year, with the male caring for and feeding the young offspring as the female incubates the next brood.

Which bird am I more like?  I have to admit, sometimes it's easier to be a hummingbird - to retreat into my own little world, to be combative, to protect my "territory," and to always be looking at others with a skeptical eye, wondering what they are after.  But being a Cardinal is so much more rewarding.  Yes, it comes with risks - I can be rejected or get hurt, or even be taken advantage of.  But I will also enjoy rich relationships, as my life is filled with other people and their love.

Being a cardinal takes time and effort.  I like the quote that I used as the title of this blog entry - isn't it true that it's a lot easier to "shoot" someone that we don't "see up close" or "get to know"?  We often criticize or judge someone when we have no idea what is going on in their world.  We dart around in attack mode, assigning motives, perhaps thinking they are out to get us, when in reality they are just trying to survive like we all are.

My last several entries here have been about relationships, and I continue to write about that because it is so important.  We can't be hummingbirds and be pleasing to God.  If my research is correct, there are 59 "one another" passages in the New Testament.  Here's a small sampling:

“…Be at peace with each other.” (Mark 9:50)

 “…Wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:14)

 “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love…” (Romans 12:10)

“…Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10)

“Live in harmony with one another…” (Romans 12:16)

“…Love one another…” (Romans 13:8)

“…Stop passing judgment on one another.” (Romans 14:13)

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you…” (Romans 15:7)

“…Instruct one another.” (Romans 15:14)

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21)

“…In humility consider others better than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3)

And repeatedly in the Gospel of John and the first Epistle of John, the phrase "love one another" is used.  Over and over again.  I cannot do this if my focus is solely on myself.

Be a cardinal.  Interact with others.  Welcome someone into your "nest."  Sing.  Share a meal.  Get to know others, especially in your church family - I mean REALLY get to know them.  You will be blessed, and God will be pleased.