I just touched down in Philadelphia for the second leg of what I am affectionately calling the “Arms Wide Open” tour. It seems appropriate since I appear to be blogging my little adventures as I go. I guess you can say I am sharing the journey.
Ah the “City of Brotherly Love”, Philadelphia. I didn’t learn much in college, but one thing I do sorta remember from “History and Faith” was that there are 3 kinds of love (I think). The only one I really remember is Phileo (SP?), which means – you guessed it – brotherly love. That got me to thinking about my friends and the guys in my life that I consider “brothers”. As luck would have it, one of them called just as I was walking out the door.
My wife and I often discuss the fact that when it comes to relationships, especially with other men, I am really good at doing the “Heisman”. In other words, we can be pretty good friends, but then the wall goes up and that is about as close as you will get. Outside of my wife, there is one other person in my life that knows me better than I probably know myself. It’s the brother that called me and the reason he was able to share something God had laid on his heart. We have that kind of connection. I guess you can call it…brotherly love.
It’s not that icky, valentines and cupid stuff. It’s the kind of love that says “it doesn’t matter where you are, what you have done or what you’re dealing with, I’m still your brother”. It’s a relationship built on trust, confidence, openness and a willingness to be broken. It’s what David and Johnathan had. It’s what more men need. It’s probably what I need to be more open to.
It’s brotherly love.
AARON CONRAD 