27 Apr The Value Of Godly Friendship
I read this quote from C.S. Lewis and was immediately touched and inspired. I feel as though God is using this as a reminder that it is vital to be surrounded by an encouraging community of believers at all times. There’s no doubt about it: this world is becoming dimmer and dimmer by the minute. Yet, why did God create fellowship? Well, the answer is simple. As John Donne so profoundly and powerfully declares, “No man is an island.” To go even deeper, God knew that this life was going to be filled with uncertainties, trials, heartaches, and other various types of pain. Think about it for a minute. What would life be like if we didn’t have people surrounding us to lift us up when we fall, or cry with us when we feel broken, or to constantly tell us that God is not finished with us yet? I guarantee that we would feel pretty lonely without the people that God has strategically placed in our paths and upon our hearts.
If there is one thing that 2020 taught me, it is that society can be a master at taking things for granted, even down to the smallest details of every freedom. I often wonder why we have come to a place where this is so true. As I am writing this, I am reminded that when Jesus freely sacrificed His life on that Cross for anyone who would confess Him as Lord and Savior, he did it from His heart. Better yet, He did it with a perspective of Heavenly friendship; the kind where He desires to know His Creation personally.
The truth is, God has charged me with a call of action. We can so easily find ourselves taking our friendships for granted, and we’ve all unintentionally been there. But, if Jesus never takes us for granted, why should we take the people He places in our lives for granted? We shouldn’t. Our friends are there to call forth what our Heavenly Father has placed deep within us, even when we fail to foresee something ever coming to pass. It could be a dream, passion, or other Kingdom desire that we don’t think we have the time, talent, or resources for. Whatever it is, Godly friends help to cultivate and mold the soil of our hearts for harvest.
Therefore, when someone is hurting, reach out to them. When someone is rejoicing, celebrate alongside them. When someone is broken, lift them up. When someone is in need, take the time to help them. The next time you start to wonder if friends really matter, think of the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made for you and me. He died the death that we so greatly deserve, and even on the hardest days where we find ourselves at our worst, He still calls us a valued friend! May we take heart in that, as we continue to press on towards all that God has called us to for His glory!
John 15:13 (NIV) “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
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