My mind is on friendships today - old and new, and some in-between. Deep, intense, fresh, acquainted, in-tune, constant, steady, seasons, opportunities, home, sharing, connecting, fun, silly, laughter, tears, anger, words, silence, gift, joy, hope, peace, time, interest, prayer, concern, compassion, mercy, grace, faithfulness...
Friendship is such a gift, isn't it? A gift to be given, a gift to receive.
Consider your friends. Consider yourself, are you a friend, a true friend? What does that look like to you? I find that for each friend that I have it looks different. The levels of friendship are as varied as the friends themselves. Friends multiply! To be blessed is to have friends. All ages, all kinds.
It is well established that I am random...I love a tangent ;-) So in going through the Word looking at the words like friend, acquaintance, friendly, etc. and cross referencing from there I found these few verse (believe it or not I did limit myself ;)
John 15:9-14 As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love. If you keep My commands you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commands and remain in His love. I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be completed. This is My command: love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends. you are My friends if you do what I command you.
Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times.
Galatians 6:2 Carry one anthers burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Gal 5:14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping his one command, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
Matthew 7:12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up
the Law and the Prophets.
John 17:9 Jesus said, 'I pray for them. I am not praying for the world but for those You have
given Me, because they are Yours.
John 13:1 Having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end.
It is always so hard for me to narrow what I want to say, probably because I do not know what I am going to say until it is said, LOL!
I am thankful for friends! Every single one! I consider a friend to be anyone I can connect with, wide range, I know. But seriously, does there have to be a certain action that someone does that then makes them a friend?
My heart overflows to think of friends, as varied in personality as they are in the type of friendship enjoyed with them. God has been so gracious to show me what true friendship is. For many years this was something I felt was absent in my life; however in learning what it means to be a friend and recognizing one who is a friend, the Lord has shown me that I can be a friend to anyone and they can be a friend to me...we must simply chose to share life together, to connect. I know, I know, I simplify, but really is being a friend as hard as we try to make it.
Now I guess technically we can call each one different names, like acquaintances, companions, sidekick, soul mate, associate, colleague, bosom friend (from Anne of Green Gables, of course!), neighbor, whatever...
Even Jesus had friends that were at different levels of friendship with Him. Look at the friendships He enjoyed with John, Peter, Lazarus, Martha, Mary, etc. There is nothing wrong with that obviously, my point is though, that we can never have enough friends. Call them what you will...the question is, am I engaged in others lives to the point that I have a variety of friends? I'm not just talking about those that you share your deepest, darkest needs with, those that understand you at your core, those that stick no matter what, I am talking about the isolated opportunity to be a friend with whoever the Lord brings into your path. To share a hug, to pray with someone, to laugh with them, cry, take a walk, smile, connect with them regardless of the time frame. Do we have time in our lives to be a friend? To have friends? Now I know we all have different needs for various types of friends, but really, don't we all have the need to be needed? To have friends? To have people in our lives that love us as we are, not what we do? That is what they want from us too!
What kind of friend am I? Am I willing to bear a burden? Give some time? Pray for and with? Am I willing to love others as Jesus does? I want others to be this for me, but am I a friend to them? How?
Doesn't it all go back to what Jesus says in John 15? Knowing the love that God has for me through Jesus is only the beginning, it goes so much farther. I can chose to remain in His love, get into His Word, learn from Him how to be a friend and have a friendship with Him, then it says His joy will be complete in me and my joy will be complete. It doesn't stop there though, it is His command that we love one another as He loves us, that we sacrifice for others. The thing is each of us is different so that sacrifice, that love for others looks different. That's okay! Quit worrying about what others do or don't do, think or don't think, expect or don't expect. Look to Jesus, let Him lead. Trust Him.
God is so teaching me not to judge others. To stop thinking I understand or know someone when really I haven't got a clue! God forgive me for not being a better friend, for being judgmental, too busy or uncaring. Thank You that You are the best friend I could possibly ever have and that in getting closer to You, experiencing intimacy with You means that I have the opportunity to then love others in Your strength and with You power. Lately He has so blessed me with multiple opportunities to share my story and hear the story of others. He has convicted me and shown me that we are not so different, none of us! If we are willing He will give us the opportunity to realize that each person we come in contact with has a story, has pain, has joy, and they have a desire to know that they are not alone, that first of all God is there for them, but also that you will be too! I know...DUH, right?!
Oh God, help me to see people through Your eyes and love them as they are, for who You made them to be! I am so thankful for those who are willing to trust me with their stories, to allow me to pray, who will listen to mine and who will pray for me. To know that others understand or at least want to understand, is a great gift.
What kind of friend am I willing to be? Someone who really listens? Someone who really cares? Someone who prays? Someone who speaks up when necessary? Look at Jesus, He is the best example of what a friend is and can be. Are we willing to be that for others? Are people that important to us? I so want them to be!
No comments:
Post a Comment