Friendship is like opening a present on Christmas morning and getting exactly what you wanted; it's a gift from God. You see, without friendship, a person cannot truly live a satisfying and enjoyable life on this earth.
Everybody longs to connect with someone, everybody desires to be loved and cared for by someone, everybody wants someone they could talk to, turn to for help, or share interests with. And a friend, is that perfect source that can provide for those needs.
Every relationship thrives if friendship is involved. And just like there are a few forms of love..we believe there are more than one forms of friendships. For instance, a marriage will strive better if the couple is friends as well as lovers. Parents connect closer with their children, if they gain a friendship with them. And two strangers can learn the beauty of sharing interests with each other after just one connecting moment. To me, friendship is self sacrifice, having similarities, and giving effort. Andrey completed our definition by adding : no judgement(someone you could be your total self with, aka "nerd out with,") and someone who you can depend on. Friendship could mean something different to every individual. Perhaps you have more than one friend: each one with their own attribute, all beneficial, and when together, they make the perfect combination. Each friend fulfills your need in their own way, and you theirs. And although some are blessed with many close friends, other individuals have the privilege of meeting one person who is complied of every needed attribute; and just that one friend could meet all your needs.
In a way, having friends to our own benefit seems selfish, but we tend to forget that a relationship works both ways. And if we don't give back, or put effort into the friendship as well, it just wont last. That's how it is with us and Christ. He longs for a relationship or "friendship" with us, and in order to gain the benefits of His love, we must give back and put effort into the relationship as well. Christ is the PERFECT example of a PERFECT friend. He is almost like a checklist for us when we are unsure of how good of a friend we are. When we experience the friendship Christ offers us, we should take example, and offer the same friendship to others. First of all, He sacrificed Himself in the greatest way possible. He gave up His own life so that we would be forgiven and be given the chance to have a relationship with Him. So why is it so hard to give up some of our time, and to give a moment of ourselves to our friends. Also, Christ enjoyed the presence of His close ones. When He first gathered his disciples he invited them over to His house, they spent every moment they could together, sharing their interests, learning from each other, and growing in their relationship with each other. We as friends should also strive to grow in closeness with each other, we don't have to spend every waking moment with them; but just praying for them, staying in touch with them, listening to them, and being there for them is the least we could do. Christ wants us to treat Him the same way as well; He also wishes for us to enjoy his presence, to spend time with Him, and share with Him; something we have the ability to do through His word and prayer.
There are many qualities of Christ that we must posses in order to be a good friend, and the bible is the best source to find out what they are. But above all, there is only one major factor that true friends cannot strive without, and that is love. If love isn't the foundation of a friendship, then it will not last. From love come all the other important attributes of a good friend. From love we come to know patience, kindness, humbleness, care, and so on...
So when there comes a time when being a good friend just becomes difficult, refill and recharge yourself with some love. The only source is Christ, who himself IS love, and the perfect example of a great friend. And if making friendships is difficult for you, remember, there is always someone reaching out His hand to you, waiting for you to grab His. He will fill your every need, and He will always find a way to fill that empty gap of friendship by either directing you to the right person and placing them in your life, or by being that friend Himself. Friends are the such an amazing privilege that we have on this earth, let us cherish them, hold on to them, but most importantly remember that having friends is important, but being the best possible friend you could be, is essential.
LATE NIGHT CHATS