Friends Leave Footprints

“The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Isn’t it a blessing when God puts loving and faithful friends in our path to hold us up when we go through misfortune… hardship…sorrow…

or

laughs and rejoices when we experience joy…blessings…success?

I think God places pretty special and unique people in our lives that impact our hearts, and show us examples of how to be forgiving, kind, content, cheerful, helpful, and faithful. We all have people who have affected our lives, whether close by or from a distance, who have been kind with a generous word or a good deed. And God has carefully chosen them to shape us into who we are and influence our character.

~Friends~

“Greater love has no one than this; that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

The people that we call our true friends are those who God has chosen to be in our lives; the ones who make an impact, and teach us lessons about ourselves and others. True relationships are those we can depend on; the ones we can confide in and tell our deepest secrets to. I believe that God has given us the freedom and privilege to share and give, and to take advantage of the energy that flows through our live and relationships by participating and interacting with others. The people that God puts in our life are not there by accident; it’s not a coincidence…it’s a gift from God!

…people come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime…

It’s so important to choose the people we associate with because they are such an influence in our lives. Our real friends are those who stick by us no matter what “moment” we are living in, because they care about us…they love us…they understand us…they rejoice with us…they suffer with us! We are blessed when they have pure hearts that love the Lord so that they can encourage and motivate us to stumble and not fall. And to rejoice and sing praises out loud. They help us clearly see and fulfill the vision that God puts into our hearts. They may seem like a Godsend, and they are! The bible tells us to choose our friends carefully, and when we allow God’s intervention, one of the first things we may see is that He starts pruning out those He doesn’t want in our lives, and bringing those in that He does.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor; if either of them falls down, one can help the other up.” (Ecclesiastes4:9-10)

The ties of friends are strengthened by both inspiration and joy, and we must nurture, 

enjoy, and protect them. When we give the gift of friendship, we can just feel the presence of God flow through us with love and compassion. When we give ourselves away, we can feel a passage opening up and allowing an abundance of happiness and grace in our hearts that on one can ever take away! When we work together and care for each other we are an example of Christ putting other’s first and we experience unity. I can’t imagine a day going by without heartfelt fellowship and interaction with the friends that God has placed in my life; friends near and far, and my wonderful blogger and Pinterest friends, have given me endless faith, encouragement, support, and laughter; they have brought me peace and happiness that I could never experience otherwise!

“If you have gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if His love has made any difference in your life, if being in the community of the spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care-then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends.” (Philippians 2:1-2)