Yesterday I had the opportunity to catch up with my buddy, Pete Varvaris.
He and I were classmates at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. My dear, sweet wife and I had met Pete and his wife, Cathy, on a visitation weekend when we were both considering coming to the Sem in the fall of 1993. We reconnected the week before classes started and were excited to find that our class schedules for the fall quarter were almost identical. I saw Pete every day and my admiration for him quickly grew.
Pete had a winning personality and a keen intellect. I learned that he was a graduate of the Navel Academy and before coming to the Sem had worked for IBM. What a resume! I was pretty amazed that a guy with those kind of credentials would even be willing to hang out with a guy like me!
Work at the Sem was grueling and the expectations were very high. After we completed our first year there was no summer vacation for us. Hebrew was waiting.
I had done well studying Greek but I was apprehensive as our summer study began. I discovered that I learn best by repetition. I'm not one of those guys who reads or hears something one time and then has got it. With Greek, I would spend most every evening going over again and again verb forms, vocab and the like to make sure I had it down cold. The pace for summer Hebrew did not allow me to do that. We were basically learning a weeks worth of material every day. I really struggled to keep up.
As the end of our eight weeks of study was coming to an end I wasn't at all confident that I would pass the qualifying exam. If I failed, I would have to take Hebrew during my second year and fall behind the rest of the first year group. I shared my concerns about failing the exam with Pete and he looked me in the eye and calmly said, "We're not going to let that happen. You will pass that test."
So in the remaining days of classes, I would call Pete each evening. He would be in the basement office in his home (I believe that office was called "the hole.") For a couple of hours or more Pete and I would go over what we learned in class that day. He patiently led me through the material and managed not to beat his head against the wall when I just wasn't getting something. Pete never complained once about giving up some of his own study time to help me. Never once did he say, "Hey, I need some time to myself to study! Figure it out on your own!" He always took my calls and always had time to work with me.
The day of the qualifier came and I was extremely anxious. I'd only slept a couple of hours that night I was pretty much exhausted before the test began. When it was all done, we graded the test right there in class. AND I PASSED! 60% was a passing score. I scored 67%. The result wasn't great. The Sem hands out no awards for 67%. But I passed. And I had Pete to thank for it.
From Pete I learned what true friendship looks like. A true friend makes sacrifices for others. A true friend looks out for the best interests of others. A true friend demonstrates the qualities of 1 Corinthians 13 - patience and kindness, always protecting, always hoping, always trusting, and always persevering.
Pete and I hadn't had a chance to talk in a while. It was really good to catch up with him. As we talked, I was reminded of how his friendship and faithfulness had impacted my life. Praise the Lord for the people he brings into our lives.
I hope you have a friend like Pete Varvaris.
