“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)
