The Value of Friendship
Something that I have grown to value this year is Friendship. Having a good solid Godly friendship base is so important. I also always say that how you treat your friends is a mirror of how you will treat your husband/wife in your marriage. The things that you learn in a friendship that can help you in your marriage are some of what I am learning now. I will share a few with you.
Trust: Trust is something that is so needing in a friendship as well as friendship. The friends that I have in my life I whole handedly trust. They have weathered my storm of also questioning their intentions (I personally don’t think that last part is fair but that was where I was at the time). They still loved me despite all my flaws . It reminds me of this verse "Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture." (Psalm. 37:3 New International Version). I trust the advice that they give as well as the their words mimic their actions ß That is a BIG ONE for me! They check up on me and they also call just to say “Hey” this means so much to me.
Not being Judgmental: with the many assumptions that I have made in my current and past friendships I’m so glad that one of my good friends have told me that the place that I am in is a “safe place”, free of judgement. Meaning we are all going to make mistakes. We are humans and humans will fail us. This is the reason why we must guard our heart and also have a firm foundation in Christ and not place humans in place of God "Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it." (James. 4:11 New International Version).
Learn to choose your friends wisely: this is a another BIG ONE for me. I spent so much of my 20’s wanting approval from the wrong people and also the wrong type of friends. Something that I have noticed about myself is if I am around someone that just constantly draws from me and does not add to my life and does not challenge what I am saying I must keep them at a certain distance. These people personally I would not consider a friend but an acquaintance and I would limit my time with them. I would also have people that would think that I was too strict in my walk with God when it came to my stance on Dating, sex, etc. they thought that I was too extreme and that I would not possibly get married. Well, at least I don’t have any attachment issues and I have been celibate for over 7 years! God is good and I know from past mistakes that I need boundaries in certain areas of my life! My friends encourage my walk in this area and respect the boundaries that I have in these issues and many others! "The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray." (Proverbs 12:26 New International Version).
There is a lot more that I would like to share with you but this is just a few! What are some key thing that you are learning about friendship that helped you in your marriage?
Until next time,
Evie
