The Joy of Friendship – Oh how sweet and wonderful it is!
I have been away from blogging for far too long, busy with my new life transitions (tell you about it later). However, I’m never too busy to catch up with my friends. I have decided to write about friendship, specifically the joy of it, because at this time in my life my friendships bring me much joy and I am glad to share. Like most people, I have the best friends in the whole wide world, which includes ladies near and far (they would travel across the ocean to see me).
So, I know you are wondering what makes my friendships that more special than anyone else with friends that are also willing to travel to see them? Well let’s rewind some years ago to a women’s bible study at my church. At this particular bible study, I recall writing on a card and praying about some relationships. Besides my relationships with God and my family, I also saw it necessary to prioritize and pray about the growth and development of my friendships. I have always loved and cared for my friends as they have me, but as I grew in my love and walk with Christ the love that I had for my friends changed too. What mattered most was quality time spent and sharing the love of God with them through joyous moments and the not so happy times. The Lord knew that I was growing increasingly busy, however, he impressed upon my heart to come to Him with my burdens, with my concerns, and with my desires that I could only fulfill through Him. If I wanted to have more time for everything including quality time with my friends, I was going to have to trust God to do it especially since many of my close friends live far away.
“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:13
John 15:13 is a very powerful and beautiful display of Christ’s sacrificial love for those He called friends. I can not lay down my life like Christ did for my friends nor can they do it for me, but I can surely share Christ, the only one that can. Definitely the perfect example of friendship! Regardless of how great my friends and friendships are, the sweetest and most wonderful aspect of my friendships is our individual relationships with Christ. Those individual relationships that we have with Christ come together to represent the body of Christ in a mighty way because of Christ. This is witnessed especially when we are on the phone texting or talking, chatting or sharing on email, social media, blogs, messenger, or in person. Praise God for my friends and the options to stay in touch laughing, comforting, and sharing a wealth of knowledge with each other. How beautiful and wonderful is that? I can’t wait to get together with my friends again!