Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Friends.

I am so blessed to have friends.

Do you ever think about that?

Sometimes I feel incredibly alone, and then I look up and my girlfriends are inviting me for walks, taking me for cokes and challenging my walk.

I have had the joy of meeting tons of people and making lots of memories, but I read the other day that the older you get the more important quality friends are.

Just after my 23rd birthday, I am getting that a little bit now.

Quality friends are the ones who take care of you.  They truly look out for you and make sure you are taking care of yourself and remaining true to the character they love in you.  Not to say they don't love you in all walks, but to say they get the core of who you are.

People who get you at your core and people who deserve to be there.  They've seen it and they still want to stick around.  It's not about a similar interest, an alignment of paths or an alumni--although those things can be the original cause of connection--true friends are there past all of that.  They understand there are no conditions to love.

I wonder about my friends who don't know God.

The Bible says those who don't know God don't know love.

Can a non-Christian friend love you?

I always think so, but then really and truly, can they?  Do non-Christians really have the defect of not being able to love?

Some of my closest friends have been non-believers.  Not necessarily athiests, but people who didn't call themselves Christians or go to church on Sunday.  In my experience these people have been more loving and accepting than many Christian friends I have.

We are so quick to judge people by their appearance, job title and labels that we often miss out on the real beauty of a person.  I think it is the over-looked people who have the best stories, the biggest heart and the most wisdom.

People like me who are always in front of the public, talking, entertaining and telling stories, we miss out because we aren't listening.  Yet, the quiet ones are always observing, always taking in and always looking for a new thought to chew on.

I try to seek out friends like this because they are the ones you have to dig deep for.  They won't approach you and sit at your feet till you pet them--that's my role.  As an extrovert I find myself often pursuing introverts until they finally release and show me their pearls of secrecy.

Greater love has no man than this, he who lay down his life for his friends.

Would you lay down your life for your friends?

Friendship is that powerful connection between people that makes them stick.  Family is family, but friends are there by option.  No one has to be around you or tolerate you, but friends are the sweet jewels who do.  They say yes to you.

At times when it feels like the world is telling you "no", it is important to surround yourself with the people who have already chosen "yes."

It's so interesting to think about how relationships work and how the world revolves around strangers, friends and family.  Some family members are strangers and some friends are family.  You never know who will end up being your closest confidant or your greatest enemy.  Life never works as you expect it to and God is always surprising us with the great unknown.

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