Are We Loving Our Friends Well?

Sometimes we can get so caught up in the battles of our own life that we forget that our friends are NOT just here for us and our wants or needs...But that they have lives too!

They need grace, patience, intercession, and attention just as much as we do!

So let me ask you, are you loving your friends well?

When was the last time you called to check on them, without your motive being your own needs? When was the last time you spent quality time with them?

Better yet, when is the last time you sat and listened to them and the woes of their lives...no advice, no comment, just support?!

When was the last time you thought about God’s creation of them...and thanked Him for everything He’s put inside them?

If we’re honest, sometimes we take our friends for granted and expect them to be there for us no matter what they may be facing in their own life. We (pointing to myself first) need to do a better job of showing our friends appreciation for:

1. WHO they are

2. What they have been to us

We want support but how well are we supporting them?

This is by no means meant to condemn those who, like me, aren’t the best at loving and supporting their friends...

This is a reminder to do better!

If you’re anything like me, things and even people can fall by the waste side due lazer focus on the things directly before us, namely our day-to-day lives. For me, reminders are good! They may bring sadness due to the realization that I’ve neglected areas of my life, but they are needed so that those areas can be reconciled and revived!

Today I challenge you to foster the relationships you already have. Surrender your time, wants, and efforts over to God in exchange for His will...

What does that look like? It looks like literally giving up our own desire for our day and asking for and coming into agreement with God’s plan for today. It may be to:

• pray over our friends

• reach out to a specific friend(s)

• to sit with God as He teaches us how (what it looks like) to support our friends

• to sit with God as He does some heart work to pull out the idols distracting us from the community He’s entrusted us with

And the list goes on. Keep in mind that submission to God doesn’t always feel good, in-fact sometimes it hurts, but it’s always for our good! I encourage you to bear through the pain that may rise, there is something so much better on the other side and not just for you but for those around you!

Why would something that’s supposed to be good hurt?

Well, sometimes there are things deeply rooted within us that God must uproot in order for us to have the heart He created us to have. Whether it’s learned behaviors, abuse, insecurity, failed relationships, etc.....they all can play a huge role in how we view others and even ourselves. They also effect how we interact with others.

God calls us to love, but we’ve been hurt so many times that we no longer even believe God is love, let alone that anyone (even a friend) could love us. That’s a mindset that has to be dismantled at the root so that we learn what love truly is, love others well, and allow others to love us! And that’s just one example.

So, let me ask you, what roots is God trying to dismantle inside of you and have you released your grip from them or are you still holding onto them for dear life?