Poem of Friendship

I first saw this poem, Friendship by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik, on a card in a gift store on the campus of WNCU (Gypsi was in junior high school and was participating in a school event). I had to buy the card in order to have a copy of the poem and I am so glad I did. I have passed it onto many friends and it still speaks to me today. Years ago, I was delighted to find that Greg Ogden, author of Discipleship Essentials, used this same poem in the chapter on Prayer. I'm including the before and after paragraphs so you can see how he tied the poem into prayer.

Prayer is transparent dialog.  It is the way we have an intimate conversation with the Creator of the universe and the Redeemer of our lives, who is wild about spending time with us.  Prayer represents the place of greatest safety where we can pour out our hearts in an unedited fashion, much like we would to a dear friend who accepts us as we are, warts and all.  Though the following poem is about friendship, it expresses our experience of prayer as well.

Oh the comfort--the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person,
Having neither to weigh thoughts,
Nor measure words--but pouring them
All right out--just as they are--
Chaff and grain together--
Certain that a faithful hand will
Take and sift them--
Keep what is worth keeping--
And with the breath of kindness
Blow the rest away.

Prayer is a come-as-you-are affair. It is God's welcome into his heart.