Your Authentic Self
"What does it look like to be a good friend?" This is a question I ask myself a lot. What is friendship about? There are so many questions we can ask ourselves about friendship. The yolk that Jesus puts on us is to love Him and love others. Friendship is about showing another person God through yourself while loving them with a love that is totally giving. Some times that's hard though. Some of us give so much we question when someone is going to give back to us, but that's not what friendship should be. Annie F. Downs describes friendship as "being a house of prayer, and a hospital at the same time". Showing people that they can come to us, that we will always love them and be there for them, so that they may see the love of God through us. Showing some one that we do not always have to agree, but we will still love and encourage them no matter the point of disagreement.
To love someone the way the Lord calls us we must be our authentic self. When we chose to be who we are made to be people are more likely to see God in us. Sometimes we try to be someone else in certain aspects of our lives, but if we are too busy trying to be someone else we miss out on the Lord shining through us in a way He can only do when we are living as our authentic self! We have to believe that when people fall involve with who we really are they will eventually fall in love with God. All we can do is pray that our friends will see us, a physical being, who is flawed and riddled with mistakes that loves them so much they might start to think "WOW, this God she talks about must be real if she can love like that."
Friendships are all about the other person seeing God, about the other person receiving love, its about totally giving. When you have a friend or friends that walk in that with you then you are blessed. A friend who chooses to see God, chooses to show love, that's when you receive blessings. Not just blessings from each other and that friendship, but also the blessing of the Lord. Be a house of prayer, and be a hospital for your friends! It hurts when friendship is broken, or isn't reciprocated in the ways we think it should. So what do we do when someone behaves in a way that is repetitively hurtful, and unkind to who we really are? Matthew 7:6 " Don't waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Do not throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you." We are encouraged not to give up on friendships, to put our selfless aside and still love even when we feel like we have been wronged. We are also told " you do not throw pearls to swine". Just because we are called to be loving does not mean everyone gets us. So in some cases you have to walk away.
I have felt very hurt in some of my friendships lately. I feel like I have been constantly trying to cling to friendships/ relationships that have only caused me pain, and reminded me of my past. Friendships aren't about us, but protecting our hearts is a must. When certain people do not; make an effort to see us, take care of our souls, or pour into our hearts it hurts. Yet in these cases it is still so hard for us to let go. WHY? Maybe it is the last bit of our old life we have to cling to? Maybe we are scared we will feel alone? But whatever reason we need to learn to let go when God is telling us it is time. Gods sometimes removes what He sees as a distraction out of our lives so that we can find a place of stillness to meet Him in. My devotion today said " My desire is that My "sheep" hear My voice continually, for I am the ever-present Shepherd. Quietness is the classroom where you learn to hear My voice. You need a quiet place in order to still your mind." (Jesus Calling)
God has a way of knowing what we need to hear, when we need to hear it. Today I needed to be taught about friendships and how to love others, but also how to obey God when He is working in my life. I heard God telling me to stop chasing, stop clinging to these people that hurt you, and to rest alone in the quietness He is giving me so that I will be able to hear and see Him more.
To love someone the way the Lord calls us we must be our authentic self. When we chose to be who we are made to be people are more likely to see God in us. Sometimes we try to be someone else in certain aspects of our lives, but if we are too busy trying to be someone else we miss out on the Lord shining through us in a way He can only do when we are living as our authentic self! We have to believe that when people fall involve with who we really are they will eventually fall in love with God. All we can do is pray that our friends will see us, a physical being, who is flawed and riddled with mistakes that loves them so much they might start to think "WOW, this God she talks about must be real if she can love like that."
Friendships are all about the other person seeing God, about the other person receiving love, its about totally giving. When you have a friend or friends that walk in that with you then you are blessed. A friend who chooses to see God, chooses to show love, that's when you receive blessings. Not just blessings from each other and that friendship, but also the blessing of the Lord. Be a house of prayer, and be a hospital for your friends! It hurts when friendship is broken, or isn't reciprocated in the ways we think it should. So what do we do when someone behaves in a way that is repetitively hurtful, and unkind to who we really are? Matthew 7:6 " Don't waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Do not throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you." We are encouraged not to give up on friendships, to put our selfless aside and still love even when we feel like we have been wronged. We are also told " you do not throw pearls to swine". Just because we are called to be loving does not mean everyone gets us. So in some cases you have to walk away.
I have felt very hurt in some of my friendships lately. I feel like I have been constantly trying to cling to friendships/ relationships that have only caused me pain, and reminded me of my past. Friendships aren't about us, but protecting our hearts is a must. When certain people do not; make an effort to see us, take care of our souls, or pour into our hearts it hurts. Yet in these cases it is still so hard for us to let go. WHY? Maybe it is the last bit of our old life we have to cling to? Maybe we are scared we will feel alone? But whatever reason we need to learn to let go when God is telling us it is time. Gods sometimes removes what He sees as a distraction out of our lives so that we can find a place of stillness to meet Him in. My devotion today said " My desire is that My "sheep" hear My voice continually, for I am the ever-present Shepherd. Quietness is the classroom where you learn to hear My voice. You need a quiet place in order to still your mind." (Jesus Calling)
God has a way of knowing what we need to hear, when we need to hear it. Today I needed to be taught about friendships and how to love others, but also how to obey God when He is working in my life. I heard God telling me to stop chasing, stop clinging to these people that hurt you, and to rest alone in the quietness He is giving me so that I will be able to hear and see Him more.
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