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As a Christian, you already have a perfect friendship. You have a friend in Jesus Christ. God’s Son, Jesus, has chosen you to be His friend. Just as He did with His disciples, Jesus speaks of you as His friend: “You are My friends… I have called you friends” (John 15:14-15). With Jesus as your friend, you really don’t need anyone else.
But God also provides other people with whom you can and should have friendships. The bible teaches us that it is not good for man to be alone and that as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another (Genesis 2:18 and Proverbs 27:17). Women you meet at church are a natural starting point. And what about making friends with those in your community? Recently I spoke at a women’s conference in California, and while I was there, I spent time visiting with a former next-door neighbor I hadn’t seen in several decades. Amazingly, we picked up right where we had left off before we both moved away those many years ago!
There are two other sources of friends that we often forget about; one is your parents. There is nothing weird about having your mom and dad as best friends. They are God’s gift to you. No one loves you more, or cares for your best interests more than your parents. Make it a goal , and put in the time, effort, and money, to develop a deeper level of friendship with your parents. Work on it today and every day then, in later years, you will be blessed you did.
Second, you also have friends in your brothers and sisters. As a child, you probably thought, friends with my goofy brother? No way! Or, friends with my pesky little sister? You’ve got to be kidding! The truth is, friends throughout life come and go. You may stay in touch with some, but most of your friends will move on.
But your family is just that – your family. They will always be there, especially if you work at building and maintaining friendships with them. And that goofy brother of yours is all grown up and not so goofy anymore. And that pesky little sister is a woman with a family of her own.
PONDER
How often do you pray for your family members, and your nieces and nephews? Can you make more of an effort?
RESPOND
Lord, help me to always see you as the most important friendship in my life. And help me to seek and develop relationships that are healthy, godly, and meaningful to both my life and theirs.
RENEWING RESOURCES
REFLECT
Ask God to show you what you can do today to strengthen your friendships with family.
REMEMBER
Make an effort to stay tight and close to your family.
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Jim and Elizabeth George are bestselling authors and national speakers dedicated to helping people live a life after God’s own heart. Together, they have written over 150 books with more than 14 million copies sold around the world. For over 35 years, the teachings and steadfast example of Elizabeth and Jim have helped countless men and women:
Jim and Elizabeth George are bestselling authors and national speakers dedicated to helping people live a life after God’s own heart. Together, they have written over 150 books with more than 14 million copies sold around the world. For over 35 years, the teachings and steadfast example of Elizabeth and Jim have helped countless men and women:
One of my favorite words in the English language is “bittersweet.” It’s sort of like the well-known announcement, “I’ve got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?” This picturesque term always reminds me that many occurrences in life fall simultaneously into the glad/sad category, bringing forth both emotions at once.