Wisdom for FriendshipsSample

Find Your People Yesterday, we learned why it’s important to have friends—people you share your life with. We were created and designed for community by a God who is communal. Relationships are at the heart of who God is, and He wants everyone to have people they can share the highs and lows of life with. Surrounding ourselves with the right people to do life with is how we fight loneliness and build strong friendships, but it can be hard to know where to start. A quest to make friends requires a certain vulnerability and can feel daunting. So how do we find these people? Maybe it’s less about “finding” and more about “seeing.” Instead of feeling overwhelmed at the idea of seeking out just the right people, we can pause, look at the people who are already around us, and start there. Depending on where you’re seeing these individuals, it’s likely that you already have a shared interest or something in common that makes it easier to start a conversation. Many of Jesus’ disciples knew each other before they were called to follow Him. Some were brothers, others worked together, and some just lived in the same town. In the Old Testament, David became friends with Jonathan while working for his father, the king. Spend a moment thinking about the people you’re regularly around, whether it’s intentionally or in passing. It might be a coworker, a neighbor, someone at the gym, or even a person you notice at church on the weekends. Another way you could start building real friendships is by getting connected with others at your local church. This could be through serving on the weekend or in your community, or by finding a small group. At Life.Church, we call it a LifeGroup—a place people have intentional and consistent time to gather together to grow closer to God and one another. No matter how you go about making friends, the most important thing is that you just start. Deep, quality friendships will rarely happen by accident. Instead, it usually takes an intentional decision—one that you can start making today. Pray: Lord, thank You for the gift of friendship. Please show me one way that I can step out and connect with someone new today. I’m ready to experience the friendships You have for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.