**Five Minute Friday is an initiative set up by Lisa-Jo Baker over at Surprised by Motherhood. The basic premise is to take the word Lisa-Jo gives and write, non-stop for 5 minutes. Then you stop and post. Read more about it here.
Friend
GO
Sometimes God takes us through periods of loneliness. He walks with us, assuring us of His friendship, helping us to rely that much more steadily on Him. But the truth is, on the whole, we are built for community.
We are made in the image of a God who is Love, who is Family, who is Communion.
And God brings people into our lives just as suddenly as others disappear. He brings us friends of every kind:
The old friend who you see little but love a lot.
The friend who you can sit in silence with and know you are actually growing deeper in friendship with.
The friend who always knows what to say.
The friend who supports you through the tough times.
The counsellor.
The one who needs you.
The friend who brings out your crazier side.
The childhood friend who knows all the embarrassing parts of your story.
The gentle encourager.
The one who is always honest, even when you’re not sure you want to hear it.
The colleague.
The fellow wife and mum who’s been there and won’t judge you.
The one who shares your passions.
The online community.
The Church family.
The friend you wish you heard from more.
The best friend.
God brings all of these to us, but He trusts us to keep these friendships going.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not always very good at that! It takes time, energy, effort. It requires more than Facebook and hoping to bump into each other. It takes something from us, and in our tech-obssessed world it is really hard for us to put in the effort long-term over the quick, instant satisfaction of short messages and comments.
I am so guilty of this.
But I think, slowly, God is teaching me to be better. To realize that it does take work, but it is worth it.
Because friendship is one of life’s greatest treasures.
STOP
