I was meandering through the store, gathering art supplies for my next painting, when in the corner of my eye I noticed a man who looked very familiar. He ended up being the husband of a sweet friend we had just seen the night before. He ended up leading me to his wife, where we exchanged a hug and laughter and chatted about our latest projects. A little while later, she texted me if I wanted to have lunch the next day. This is a very simple story, nothing extravagant, but this is how God orchestrates true friendships.
The Gift Of Friendship
God, as all-knowing and kind as He is, doesn’t want us without camaraderie and fellowship, especially if he knows two people will get along very well. I don’t believe anything is by happenstance, so as long as we are living for the Father and daily surrendering to Him, God will be at work in our lives. One of the ways He does that is by sending people we have been yearning for, and friendships we have been desiring.
We have all had unreliable friends at one time or another, and we know the pain that comes with that. But when we’re after God, He will send the true friends we seek in this lifetime. These friendships are tied together by mutual encouragement, words of life, spending time with one another, comfort during trials, and sharpening each other.
That is true friendship. It’s what Job had. It’s what Jesus had. It’s what God desires that we partake in for this life on earth. A life consecrated to God is a life designed to be lived in community and comradery.
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.” — Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Opening Your Heart
If we are married, as beautiful and whole as it is, we can’t solely rely on our wife or husband to be the only friend in our lives. This unhealthy marriage habit could cause us to miss out on the beauty of being a blessing for another couple that we could be spending quality time. Perhaps they have been desiring fellowship and friendship with like-minded believers, and we could be those friends for them if we open our hearts and our lives.
God orchestrates true friendship in such simple and tangible ways because He desires to give us people in our lives to be there through the sorrows and the joys, to lend a hand, and to sharpen us. When we desire to be a light in the world, He sends us those people that we can be that light for, and it may just happen to be the next best friend we’ve been seeking all this time.
You may also be interested in Becoming BFFs: How To Make Friends As An Adult
