Friendship

Proverbs 11:30

New International Version (NIV)

³⁰ The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and the one who is wise saves lives.

(a wise person is a "model" of a meaningful life)

 

Friendships. Now here is a touchy topic for me. I feel like these past couple of years a lot has come to light about friendships for me. I've been on both ends of the friendship fence. There are times where I have not been a good friend, then there are times when I was left hanging thinking what happened?

I think this LAST year I really started to see friendships in a whole new perspective. After a loss of practically a whole group of "friends", I had to really sit back and pray about what was really going on. My husband and I were changing. We were rededicating out lives back to Christ. Giving all those "friendships" back to God. If he wanted my husband and I to be in these peoples lives, he would work it out! We have not given up hope on them yet.

 

Any relationship/friendship God leads us "into" our even "out of", naturally is to our benefit. With the intentions of molding us into the BEST Christian we can be. Without rocky relationships how is he to refine our hearts to pure gold?

 

Romans 12:2 New International Version (NIV)

² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

 

A common bond: Christ lover. Not just a Christmas and Easter Jesus lover...but a 365 days out of the year lover. I want to be a friend who has your heart and soul as a priority, knowing that I can pray for you with out hesitation. I expect the same in a friend. Friendships without Christ as a common bond become stale. Like old bread, flaky, dry and often moldy. The lifestyle I once enjoyed with friends left me empty. I was constantly on the go, doing fun things, but when the times got hard and I needed deep conversation. There was nothing there. That friendship road was a one way highway and I was headed to Lonerville. I was conforming to the world. Withdrawn and offended. I needed a renewing of the mind and a good praying session.

 

Proverbs 18:24 New International Version (NIV)

²⁴ One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

 

We all need friends who will stick close to us, listen, console, care and offer prayer when needed. The thick and the thin. Instead of praying for God to help me find a true friend,

 (cause I did that...a lot!) I started praying for God to help me become one. I wanted to be reliable, able, and willing. Everything that I was perhaps lacking in previous friendships.  

 

Eventually God removed those relationships from my life. Not by a dramatic outburst but by simply just filling that void with HIS presence. I was hurt at first for not having those "friends" but eventually I got over it. Since then...new relationships have formed. The only way to make any friendship/relationship work is to seek God first.

 

Make your friendships intentional. There is someone out there that is hungry for a Godly friend. You my friend are that person. Ask God to reveal them to you and be that friend that sticks closer than a brother.