Tag: friendship

Meant for Relationships

On By vickleaIn Family and Friends, Scripture1 Comment

From the very beginning, God knew that mankind needed companionship, relationship.

Thus, God established marriage. One man and one woman for life, the way God meant for it to be.

But marriage is not the only relationship we have. We also have a relationship with our Heavenly Father, with an open invitation to worship and pray and come into His presence. And we have friends, those God has placed in our lives for us to ask for help or for us to give them help. We are generally doing one or the other with our friends. We can be honest with them and admit that we are not sufficient to do all the things alone. So, God gave us friends to stand alongside us and hold us up when we are falling.

We were not meant to go through life lonely and trying to do a solo act all the time. There are many times when we just need to talk to someone and there are other times when we need assistance with something. I have a good friend from church who contacts me several times a week just to make sure that Harry and I are okay. She offers to bring us food when we are sick and when we had to move to the auxiliary room at church because of the noise of the bass, she moved with us. She told us that church is for fellowship and she will be our fellowship. Do you have someone that you can call on at any time and they will respond? That is a true friend and that is what Bonnie is.

One of the ways we show love is to just be available. God is always available to us, ready to hear our cry for help and to comfort, heal and answer. He showed us the example of a loving relationship so that we can show the world what marital love and what friendship look like. In a world where people are climbing over each other to get to the top, let’s be the ones to be noticed for helping, not hindering. Let’s be the ones to comfort, not compete. Let’s be the ones to give, not always take. The world may never see what we are doing or know why, but God sees and knows. He is our real BFF (best friend forever).

Friendship with God

On By vickleaIn promises, Scripture, Video1 Comment

Who is your best friend, the one you talk to all the time and tell that person everything that is happening in your life? You tell them how you really feel, the good things and the bad things and everything in between. I think my very best friend is my husband. We have grown together over the last fifty plus years and I can be honest with him without fearing his reaction. But the best friend that I have ever had or ever will have is God.

When Jesus was getting ready to leave His disciples and ascend to Heaven, he commissioned them to go and make disciples of others. One of the last things He said to them was that He would always be with them. That verse is one that I have clung to for many years, especially when troubling times come. I remind myself that I am not alone, that Jesus is right there with me. When my husband was deployed with the military and I was working a full-time job and taking care of three children alone, Jesus was right there. He helped me cope, balance the budget, pay the bills, take children to various activities and appointments and generally keep me sane. I trusted Him to be there for me and He was. Did I have some difficult times? Yes, that is part of life, but Jesus’s presence made all the difference. I was alone, but I wasn’t lonely. I knew then and I know now that Jesus is my friend, the One I can count on to not leave me, ever.

“I Am a Friend of God”

Run Your Race in Your Lane

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/9114/day/6

We have such a competitive spirit in our nation. We want to be the best at all that we do, and we are so busy striving for that number one position that we forget that one of our purposes is to encourage others. Instead, we have a tendency to tear others down and make them feel small so we can feel bigger. I like the concept that we are in a race, as described in the Bible. I also like that we each have lanes to be in and we are running an individual race, not a competition. We are all supposed to keep our eyes on Jesus, not on each other, especially the shortcomings of others. When we feel as though we just have to say something negative, we need to remember that the person to whom we are speaking those words is a special creation of God, He made them and He is working on them in their race just as He works on us in ours. Running life’s race can be challenging, so let’s offer each other a hand up instead of stomping our foot down on others. We are not here to compare ourselves to others and rejoice when we think we are better. We are here to help each other along the way and our only model of comparison is Jesus, our Lord.

Friendship

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

Friendships in life are so important to our well-being and to our having a positive outlook on life. Six years ago, my best friend in Virginia passed away after a long illness. Heidi was the one whom I could talk to about anything and everything, including my faith. She and I both got into the habit of eating lunch together once a month, going to each other’s houses to visit and just chatting on the phone regularly. We met at the school where we both worked and since she helped me acclimate to a new school and new requirements, I looked to her for assistance a lot that first year, forming a friendship that seemed to be unlikely. You see, I’m not wealthy. Heidi was. I’m a biological child of the parents who raised me. Heidi was adopted from Germany as a child. We got to be really close when Heidi’s marriage dissolved due to her husband’s infidelity. I became the one she leaned on as she gradually came to accept that the philanderer was never coming home again and that she could survive without him. When she met Bob, her future spouse, she was so in love that it radiated from her entire being and I was delighted for her. I was her matron of honor and we celebrated this new chapter in her life together. But less than ten years later, Heidi was in terrible health. I’m so thankful that she had Bob to be by her side as she faced one devastating health crisis after another. I went to the hospital weekly to be with her, reading to her, chatting and laughing at fond memories. Friendship is important, so when Heidi died, a part of my heart died, too. She passed away only a few months before my father, so those two losses in the same year almost did me in. But God did not leave me. He never does. He made sure that I had others checking on me, calling me and lifting me up in prayer. God’s friendship is eternal and we never have to worry about death separating us from Him as long as we know Him as our Savior.

My mom used to say to be careful who your friends are because they will determine how others see you. So, I’m careful now to say that Jesus is my best friend, one who never leaves me and who listens to all I have to say, giving me wise counsel and loving me through difficult times. I have other earthly friends now, but no one as close as Heidi was. I will probably always miss her on this side of Heaven, but I hope to see her when I get there.

Friendships don’t always last. Sometimes time and distance change things, but they are important so as the Bible says, we need to chose reliable friends. And, more importantly, we need to be a reliable friend to others.

Have a blessed day, my online friends, and may each of you form lasting friendships that make a difference in your lives and show the world a model of friendship with Jesus.