No Man Is An Island

Human beings do not function well as loners. God himself said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (Gen. 2:18, NIV).

“Out of the ground (clay) the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every foul of the air…” but as for the woman, “he took one of his ribs (of Adam)… and made he a woman, and brought her unto the man, and Adam said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man” (Gen. 2:19-23 KJV).

The woman is a masterpiece, a special creation conceived and created by God, to assist the man and to inspire him in doing his managerial job. She is very special because she was not taken “out of the ground” but she is “one of the ribs of Adam”, nearest to his heart for him to love and cherish all the days of his life.

King Solomon in Ecclesiastes 4:8, depicted a person who devoted all his energy to the pursuit of wealth. He did not have time for friends or family. He worked very hard, yet his wealth didn’t satisfy the void in his life. That person remained lonely.

After depicting the lonely man, King Solomon, illustrated the advantages of fellowship and partnership (vv. 9-12). He did so by referring to the value and productivity of two laboring together (v.9); of one helping the other when one falls (v.10); of two keeping each other warm on cold nights (v.11); and of two protecting each other when attacked (v.12). Then, he concluded, “A threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Eccl. 4:12) which is a proverbial way of saying “there is strength in numbers.”

This was vividly demonstrated when in 1986, several millions of Filipinos converged in EDSA in support of Former President Corazon C. Aquino, then Chief of Staff, Former President Fidel Ramos and the Secretary of National Defense, now the incumbent Senate President Johnny Ponce Enrile in what history records as the EDSA bloodless revolution. Because of the numerous citizens who expressed their solid support for the three named personalities, Strongman President Ferdinand E. Marcos vacated his office without the shedding of a drop of blood from any Filipino citizen or foreign national in the Philippines.

God has designed man for companionship, with a need for one another. So, be sure to have friends, and be a friend to someone and be friendly always. The Bible says, Abraham was called “the friend of God” (James 2:23). The Lord Jesus said to his disciples: “Ye are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:14). He further said, “Henceforth I call you not servants;… but I have called you friends (vs. 15). Consequently, Abraham was blessed. How was he blessed? “And Abraham was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold” (Gen. 13:2), and his name is a great name in the Bible. He is called “Father Abraham”. And the LORD God further promised that whoever blesses Abraham will be blessed and whoever curses him will be cursed, “and in thee shall all the families on earth be blessed” (Gen. 12:2-3 KJV). Christians are spiritual Israelites. We should therefore strive to belong to the family of Abraham. The United States of America have been supporting (or blessing Israel [Abraham’s native country]) that is why “God bless America”.

I have a very close and a bosom friend, a surveyor-lawyer. He was first a surveyor, but finding him very intelligent and with logical mind, I encouraged him to study law. He hesitated, but when he found out that I paid for his enrollment already to prove how sincere and serious I was, he studied law. He found his study of law very interesting, enjoyable and useful in his first choice profession of surveying, and eventually became a lawyer, passing the bar with flying color in 1972.

My friend’s first case was a petition of his landowner-client who lost the title to his land. He asked me to accompany him when the case was scheduled for hearing. We started early from Davao City to Tagum City which is 54 kilometers away from Davao City. He loaded full tank his army Mac Arthur jeep which was then the favorite and appropriate transportation in Davao Province due to rough roads. He wore a new barong Pilipino. When his case was called, being a new lawyer, he first introduced himself to the presiding judge. Being nervous, he spoke very fast and did not pronounce well his words, especially his name. The presiding judge told him to go slow and repeat his name. Then, the judge remarked, “But compañero, the Register of Deeds has not been notified of your client’s petition. What is your pleasure?” Being seated beside him, realizing that he did not know how to respond, I whispered to him, “Pare, ask for postponement”. He retorted also in a whisper, “But the Register of Deeds is just a few meters away which could be reached by a marvel!” (jolen in local Filipino dialect). I again whispered, but the summons cannot just be served now. The judge was watching us. Hesitatingly, he manifested in broken words, “Your honor… I re-request for, for post-postponement”. The case was re-set to another date. He was relieved of his tension.

It was only about 9:00 A.M., so, he told us (including his client with two companions) to have breakfast. In the restaurant, he ordered breakfast for five. I declined saying that I have already taken by breakfast. So, he ordered only for four. The client who was seated beside me nervously whispered to me, “Atty. I have no money” perhaps realizing that my lawyer-friend ordered too much. I, in turn, whispered to my friend, “Pare, your client said, he has no money”. So, he paid for the bill, and he got no reimbursement for his gasoline.

With that traumatic experience, on our way home to Davao City, he complained of his “misfortune” that day. He endorsed the case to me, saying, he will no longer practice law. Since then, he did not like to handle cases in court.

Subsequently, he again endorsed another client. It was an intestate estate case of a landed client, in Davao del Norte and in Davao Oriental, with a 54 door two-storey apartment in Davao City. The client paid my legal services which is at least half of the total cost of my modest law office building in the heart of the city. The point is: he endorsed to me clients because I am his very close friend.

The foregoing demonstrate the value of close friendship, especially friendship with God (Jesus in person). If a human friend can bless us, how much more with God? Remember how God blessed Abraham his friend? To emphasize, “he was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold”.

The time to make friends is before you need them. Always make friends: they are a source of manifold blessings. Best of all, be a friend of God (Jesus).

[Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International Davao City Chapter Bulletin, April 27, 2013]