Friendship
Every day we have moments of clumsiness, minor breakdowns,
funny stories, and at the end of the day we just want someone to spill it all
to. You see we were created to do life with people helping us through, not by
ourselves. God took Adam after he created him and said, “It is not good for the
man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (Gen 2:18). Thus
companionship was born. Having someone to walk through life with makes this
crazy roller-coaster called life much more bearable. Ecclesiastes 4:8-12 speak
about friendship. More specifically theses verses take about how it isn't good
for man to be alone. Verse 12 states, “Though one may be overpowered, two can
defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.”
Growing up I moved around quite a bit and because I was a
victim of bullying I had a limited number of friends. When I think about the
girls who I called my friends at the time, I realized I never had a good mutual
friendship with them, the kind of friendship where both of us give equally into
the relationship. For example, I always felt as I did everything for my friend,
yet I would get nothing in return. I showed up to their sporting events, they
didn't come to mine. I tried to make time for us to get together, but they
rarely call or text me to see how I’m doing. I soon realized that these
friendships weren't healthy for me. With that being said, a friendship isn't a
one sided deal. We are called to give love, compassion, trust, a listening ear,
a smile, and the most important of all: time. There are those people that we
instantly click with, but to create a lasting friendship with that person we
have to put forth effort with these characteristics. However, the Bible warns
against the friends that will tear you down instead of build you up, “He who
walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm”
(Proverbs 13:20). Friends are there to help you follow your passions, support
your decision (or tell you if it’s a bad decision), share your tears, fears and
be by your side as you walk the earth. It’s awfully hard to do it on your own,
but it’s never too late to start a friendship with someone, or even rekindle an
old friendship.
One thing that we sometimes forget is that we don’t need a
lot of friends in order to be happy, that’s why we have Jesus, but we do need
those that we can go to confidently and just talk and sympathize with. During
my summer at Colorado LT, leadership training, I found three people who I got
super close to and could tell them just about anything. All three of these
individuals have completely different personalities, and I knew what I would
receive when I talk to them. For example, with my co-worker we would talk about
anything. Such as: God, boys, friendships, college, and life in general. We
listened to each other and gave each other advice. Whereas one of the men from
my project group I had breakdowns in front of, ranted to him, yet in return he gave
me a Godly perspective on the situation at hand. In addition to that I knew
that when we were done talking I will be left with a lot to contemplate and a
fresh look at the situation. The third person was a girl that I was able to sit
with and just have fun with. Every time we hung out after work we talked, laughed,
and recalled the funny times from our day. I treasured those times greatly. The
reason I am talking about these three individuals is because they taught me
what a true Christ-centered friendship is supposed to look like. They also
taught me how to love a person, and just listen to what they had to say. In
addition they also taught me about how a healthy friendship is supposed to be
lived out. The greatest part about these three individuals was that even though
we all live in different states and would only be together for two and a half
months, we knew we would need each other as the summer went on.
Lastly, the one saying I heard a lot before going to college
was, “The friends you make in college will last a lifetime.” I wholeheartedly
agree. It’s in college that you meet people with similar interest and dreams as
your own. You are in a place where you’re beginning a new chapter of your life
away from your familiar surroundings. And once you arrive on campus you begin
to meet people in your classes, dorm, the library and many other places, that’s
when you begin to start noticing that you’re not the only one dealing with
fears similar to your own. That is how friendships begin, and then as the years
go on you and the friends you have made have created a bond so special that
your friendship may continue on for a lifetime.
In conclusion, when you look at your friends do you see a
person who genuinely cares about your well-being, or a person who only is there
for sporadic times of your life? Remember you shouldn't have to change who you
are in order to make friends. Being the person God created you as will lead the
right people into your life, and those people will love you just as you are.
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