Frienemy

 

I heard a new word yesterday: frienemy.  It’s a mix of friend and enemy, which sounds impossible.  It was used in the context of someone who is a friend yet a competitor.  Someone who is disliked, but, at the same time, beneficial.  And when I heard the word, I immediately thought of Robert.  Robert was a man that I worked for years ago who just rubbed me the wrong way.  He was a good man and an excellent carpenter, but frustrating to work for.  A frienemy.  Robert was a perfectionist and expected more from me than I thought that I could deliver.  Robert took high-end carpentry jobs that no one else would attempt, like a spiral staircase.  When I installed baseboard trim, Robert never let me use caulking.  He insisted on wood filler, which would not shrink when it dried.  The baseboard joints on a long wall had to be perfectly smooth across the joint.  When Robert inspected my finished joint, he would feel it, not look at it.  If his hand felt no joint, it was good; if he felt the joint, I had to sand some more.  Frustrating!  Robert would use a sharp knife to mark a line, then he would cut on one side of the groove or on the other.  He was that precise!  So, I realized yesterday that frienemy was the word that I had been searching for to described Robert.  Several years after I stopped working for Robert, I had to call him and thank him for insisting on good work from me.  Robert was hard to work for, but Robert brought out the best in me.  Hey, when Moses was building the Tabernacle for God, he found an excellent craftsman to build the tabernacle.  This man had a good reputation in construction.  Exodus 35:30&31, “And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship.”  Hey, God not only calls preachers and missionaries; God calls carpenters and craftsmen.  God gives wisdom to pastors who study the Bible and God gives wisdom to carpenters who build the church house.  And God teaches the next generation of preachers and craftsmen through careful men.  God uses frienemies like Robert.  “Thank you, Mr. Robert, for bringing out the best in me.”  Hey, call one of your frienemies today and thank them for pouring into your life!