What is friendship? Simply enough, it is the state of being friends.
What makes a friend? Being attached by feelings or affections and being a supporter of someone.
According to the dictionary.
Thinking about my own friendships, I feel like there is definitely more to this definition.
When entering into a friendship you usually begin with talking, right? Or maybe you begin with attempting to gather information about this person by "browsing" their social media profiles. But, in the end you still don't really know them...you know about them. (Remember: talking, not stalking.) And again, you can't just stand next to someone with your lips clamped shut and automatically understand their whole life story by way of social osmosis.
You can, however, invest in beginning a friendship by setting apart time to hear their story from the beginning. This goes deeper though. You don't just hear a good story, you hear how it has affected them, how they've been shaped by it, what has hindered growth, what has ignited growth. As you pursue friendship, you begin to pick up on what they like and dislike, what moves their heart and what hurts it. You begin to understand their quirks, sense of humor, habits, and tendencies. You begin to know their heart, not just know about their person.
This past week I was both challenged and encouraged by a teaching on friendship with Jesus. Friendship was described in the following way:
Think of one of your dearest friends. You spend time laughing and crying with each other. You can sit completely silent in their presence or engage in deep conversation that stirs you. Most would say they would "take a bullet" for this friend. However, when we look at our friendship with the Lord, would we really take a bullet for him? Some say in a moment that, yes, they would in fact face death for Jesus. Is this what we actually believe, or is it what we want to believe? Do we really know Jesus well enough to "take a bullet" for him? When it actually came to that vital moment, would we follow through?
"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends...No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends...You do no choose me, but I chose you..." -Jesus
I'm not sure how many times I've read through these verses in John, but I do know that I seemed to miss Jesus' beautiful invitation to commune with him in friendship. Yes, Jesus is the ultimate friend who laid down his life for us, but what role do we play? After all, friendship isn't a one-sided phenomenon. We play the role of just that, a friend.
We begin by sitting at his feet and hearing his story again, but maybe this time hearing it with a heart pursuing friendship, not knowledge. Maybe this time we hear it as told by the Son of Man, who actually walked the same earth on which we sit, in awe of the fact that he chooses to call us friends. Maybe this time we will allow ourselves to be stirred as he shares about his love for his friends from every tongue, tribe, and nation. Maybe we will begin to partner with his heart for his billions of friends that don't yet call him friend. And, maybe this time we will be humbled by his perfect example of friendship and shift our eyes to the beauty of who he really is, finding a friend in him. Maybe, he will find a friend in us.
What makes a friend? Being attached by feelings or affections and being a supporter of someone.
According to the dictionary.
Thinking about my own friendships, I feel like there is definitely more to this definition.
When entering into a friendship you usually begin with talking, right? Or maybe you begin with attempting to gather information about this person by "browsing" their social media profiles. But, in the end you still don't really know them...you know about them. (Remember: talking, not stalking.) And again, you can't just stand next to someone with your lips clamped shut and automatically understand their whole life story by way of social osmosis.
You can, however, invest in beginning a friendship by setting apart time to hear their story from the beginning. This goes deeper though. You don't just hear a good story, you hear how it has affected them, how they've been shaped by it, what has hindered growth, what has ignited growth. As you pursue friendship, you begin to pick up on what they like and dislike, what moves their heart and what hurts it. You begin to understand their quirks, sense of humor, habits, and tendencies. You begin to know their heart, not just know about their person.
This past week I was both challenged and encouraged by a teaching on friendship with Jesus. Friendship was described in the following way:
Think of one of your dearest friends. You spend time laughing and crying with each other. You can sit completely silent in their presence or engage in deep conversation that stirs you. Most would say they would "take a bullet" for this friend. However, when we look at our friendship with the Lord, would we really take a bullet for him? Some say in a moment that, yes, they would in fact face death for Jesus. Is this what we actually believe, or is it what we want to believe? Do we really know Jesus well enough to "take a bullet" for him? When it actually came to that vital moment, would we follow through?
"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends...No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends...You do no choose me, but I chose you..." -Jesus
I'm not sure how many times I've read through these verses in John, but I do know that I seemed to miss Jesus' beautiful invitation to commune with him in friendship. Yes, Jesus is the ultimate friend who laid down his life for us, but what role do we play? After all, friendship isn't a one-sided phenomenon. We play the role of just that, a friend.
We begin by sitting at his feet and hearing his story again, but maybe this time hearing it with a heart pursuing friendship, not knowledge. Maybe this time we hear it as told by the Son of Man, who actually walked the same earth on which we sit, in awe of the fact that he chooses to call us friends. Maybe this time we will allow ourselves to be stirred as he shares about his love for his friends from every tongue, tribe, and nation. Maybe we will begin to partner with his heart for his billions of friends that don't yet call him friend. And, maybe this time we will be humbled by his perfect example of friendship and shift our eyes to the beauty of who he really is, finding a friend in him. Maybe, he will find a friend in us.