Please take just 3 minutes to watch the video on the attached link.  It will make your day.

http://www.kare11.com/story/news/local/land-of-10000-stories/2014/07/06/farmington-next-door-neighbor-friendship-emmett-erling/12196221/

I watched it twice and both times it made me smile; then made me tear up; then made me want to have a friendship like that with an elderly person; then made me want to have a friendship like that with a child.

As I thought of all of those emotions, it made me think of Jesus and how he, too had the “most unlikely of friendships” with people.   Jesus talked to the woman at the well who came to the well at an unusual time of day trying to avoid people because she had been involved with many men and she was ashamed.   Jesus talked to Zacchaeus, the cheating tax collector, in a crowd of people and told him that he was planning to stay at his house with him.  Jesus was friends with a betrayer and a thief.  Jesus also loved children and told the disciples to let the little children come to him.  In Mark 10:16, we see that Jesus took the children in his arms and blessed them. 

These were the most unlikely of friendships.  Even more so than Emmett and Erling.  This 3-year-old and WWII Veteran’s friendship was the sweetest of friendships.  And, we too have the opportunity to have these kinds of friendships.  Jesus didn’t worry about what was normal or what the world would accept or what people said about who he was friends with.  Just like Jesus, Erling showed love, friendship, patience, kindness, and gentleness to a child.  And in return, Emmett trusted Erling and wanted to hang out with him everyday.

We need to look for unlikely friendships so that we, too, can show Jesus in a special way.  I challenge you today to step out of your comfort zone and have lunch with someone you normally don’t have lunch with or invite someone new to have coffee with you.  In getting out of our box we just might find that most unlikely of friendships!  And those friendships can change our world!