Friendship...Learning to Carry His Heart for Others

As I get older, I love friendship more and more. I think it’s probably because I realize the value of it. I know that if a person has a few people they can truly call their friends in a lifetime, they are blessed. I’ve been on a journey of learning about what it means to be a friend. There have been a few key people in my life that have taught me how to be a friend. I have learned to open my heart in honesty and sincerity, to be one that communicates, and one that listens. I wasn’t good at any of that. I still struggle with it now, but have come a really long ways! I’m still learning and am blessed to have true friends that I can learn from.

I believe a true friend is not just someone that you can have a good time with, although this is certainly true. I think we limit it to this definition when there is so much more that our hearts were made for in the subject of friendship. I believe true friends have the privilege of going on a lifetime journey of getting to know the other person, seeing how the Lord sees them, and helping them to become that person. The Lord wants to speak to us about our friends. He wants to partner with us so we know His heart for each other. I am a better friend when I carry His heart. It is when we share the actual emotions of His heart for someone else that we can know the intimacy of friendship. Do we know how powerful it is to actually know what God thinks of another? To not only know His thoughts, but communicate them to someone? This is available to us – He is ready and willing to speak to us about other people in our lives. May we begin to ask Him what His thoughts are concerning others.

Oh how the Lord must love friendship. Hidden in the chambers of His heart is a love and longing for friendship. God is so affectionate. His emotions are so pure and undefiled that nothing earthly can compare to the endless flow of love and affection that flows from His heart. He is calling us to take hold of this part of His nature and He is most willing to teach us. He wants us to experience the full measure of friendship on the earth. It is a part of Him – and we are meant to walk in it because we were made in His image.

All of the baggage that comes from the past is not enough for God to be unwilling to teach us how to be vulnerable to each other. He will teach us to open our hearts when all we’ve had is others crush us in the past. Although we won’t be perfect at it, He will give us grace to walk this gift out called friendship. May we experience ALL that we are meant to…and friendship being one of the many experiences God wants to give us!