Friendship is one of the things I cherish most in life. I'm probably one of the most relational people you'll ever meet, which, does at times have its downfalls- like I always choose relationship over task and sometimes don't get the task in front of me accomplished, but I wouldn't trade it in for anything.
People make our lives richer. The Trinity of God, Jesus, Holy Spirit models friendship, Jesus had LOTS of followers but only a few friends and those were the ones He built Kingdom with. Yes, He brought Kingdom through lots of people in their interactions together, but He built Kingdom with the ones who were close and chosen as friends.
I have SO MUCH I can say about this and I will in later posts (a promise of sorts that I'll write more...).
Last weekend I went on a personal retreat with some friends. We set aside 3 days to spend more time with God than we normally get. It was soooo good! God gave us gifts of an amazingly beautiful place to stay, nature all around us, He spoke His word to each of us in ways we hear Him best, we built relationship with each other through lots of laughter and times praying together. Friendship with Jesus was the goal and He gave us even more as our friendships with each other were built up as well. He gives such good gifts, all the time!!!
This photo is one of my very favorites from that time together and quite possibly one of my favorites of all time so far! It says many things about why I treasure friendship...
-Full of laughter (um, this is true of most of my friendships!)
-Built over shared experience
-Built in my second language! (This one feels like a very special part of this particular friendship! WOOHOO for the benefits of focusing on the task of learning so I could deepen relationship!!!!)
-Enjoying God's good gifts together
-Not being distracted by posing for a "good" picture (By the way, I think this one is great, not just good) but just enjoying the moment together
-Great memories were being made of this shared experience (that we will probably laugh lots about in the future!)
-There was another friend with us who saw the value in the moment and kept snapping pictures
-I believe God was smiling and laughing with us because He knew how much we were enjoying all He had given us AND because He knew what this picture would speak to my heart today
-Safety- it takes feeling secure in God and with the other person to be able to laugh the way we were
-Friendships God chooses go deep, fast. We have only known each other for a little more than a year but we have a mutual friend who we both love a lot (my little brother = her boyfriend) and oh how my relational heart LOVES that shared relationship is what set the foundation for our friendship!
What are some of the greatest things you treasure about your friendships? God designs relationships. He has strategic purpose in them. Think about it, there's purpose in the laughter, tears, new experiences, connections that open doors you never would have dreamed of, watching tv/movies together, traveling together, conversations over coffee, tea or ice cream... God knows the moments of our lives and He gets really excited about each of us building community that represents Him and His Kingdom.
People make our lives richer. The Trinity of God, Jesus, Holy Spirit models friendship, Jesus had LOTS of followers but only a few friends and those were the ones He built Kingdom with. Yes, He brought Kingdom through lots of people in their interactions together, but He built Kingdom with the ones who were close and chosen as friends.
I have SO MUCH I can say about this and I will in later posts (a promise of sorts that I'll write more...).
Last weekend I went on a personal retreat with some friends. We set aside 3 days to spend more time with God than we normally get. It was soooo good! God gave us gifts of an amazingly beautiful place to stay, nature all around us, He spoke His word to each of us in ways we hear Him best, we built relationship with each other through lots of laughter and times praying together. Friendship with Jesus was the goal and He gave us even more as our friendships with each other were built up as well. He gives such good gifts, all the time!!!
Me & Monirath laughing, enjoying God's good gifts, building friendship
This photo is one of my very favorites from that time together and quite possibly one of my favorites of all time so far! It says many things about why I treasure friendship...
-Full of laughter (um, this is true of most of my friendships!)
-Built over shared experience
-Built in my second language! (This one feels like a very special part of this particular friendship! WOOHOO for the benefits of focusing on the task of learning so I could deepen relationship!!!!)
-Enjoying God's good gifts together
-Not being distracted by posing for a "good" picture (By the way, I think this one is great, not just good) but just enjoying the moment together
-Great memories were being made of this shared experience (that we will probably laugh lots about in the future!)
-There was another friend with us who saw the value in the moment and kept snapping pictures
-I believe God was smiling and laughing with us because He knew how much we were enjoying all He had given us AND because He knew what this picture would speak to my heart today
-Safety- it takes feeling secure in God and with the other person to be able to laugh the way we were
-Friendships God chooses go deep, fast. We have only known each other for a little more than a year but we have a mutual friend who we both love a lot (my little brother = her boyfriend) and oh how my relational heart LOVES that shared relationship is what set the foundation for our friendship!
What are some of the greatest things you treasure about your friendships? God designs relationships. He has strategic purpose in them. Think about it, there's purpose in the laughter, tears, new experiences, connections that open doors you never would have dreamed of, watching tv/movies together, traveling together, conversations over coffee, tea or ice cream... God knows the moments of our lives and He gets really excited about each of us building community that represents Him and His Kingdom.
