Bright Spot: Loyal friends can help outrun issues bearing down

You don’t have to run faster than a bear to survive an attack – just faster than the slowest guy in your hiking group.

Or so goes the old joke. Not funny.

Especially if you’re slow or your name is Rudy Noorlander. He was attacked by a grizzly Sept. 8 in the Custer Gallatin National Forest in Montana. The bear bit off half of Noorlander’s jaw and severely damaged his larynx, putting him in the hospital for five weeks.

Bright Spot: By showing your faith, you can improve your look to Jesus

There are several reasons Rudy survived, especially the grace of God. Right behind the Lord’s cushioning of those bear blows was Rudy’s friends. They managed to distract the bear long enough for friends to get him out of there.

“If one falls down he needs another to help him up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12) ... bear one another’s burdens and thus fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:1-2)

(By the way, no pun was intended above.)

Noorlander basically quoted 2 Corinthians 1:4 through his daughter due to a crushed voicebox: “... we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we have received from God … .” The recovering Noorlander startled the reporters stressing: “Believe it or not this attack answered my prayers. And potentially it can help someone from going through something similar.”

In a recent USA Today article a renowned researcher wrote how happiness (and life itself) flows directly out of faith, family, friends and work, from where many of our friends come. A real friend doesn’t run from you. They run to you to help. Even if there’s something big bearing down on you.

(Sorry, another pun!)

Rick Sams is pastor emeritus of Alliance Friends Church.

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Bright Spot: Loyal friends can help outrun issues bearing down