#Struggles “Friend”
We all want to fit in, be liked and have a group of folks we feel accepted with. Every superhero we dream of still has one or two folks in his/her life that they trust with their secret. Relationships require work and intentional effort from all involved to make it work…otherwise it falls apart. Often though, we get caught up more in being accepted by others than being in a relationship with others. It leaves shallow relationships that don’t stand the test of time but fall apart from a tweet, snap or status update. Technology connects us from the world apart; however, when it’s used in substation for relationship it leads to an addiction to instant gratification/acceptance, be more connected yet more lonely and in a place of shallow superficial friendships instead of ones that walk through life’s circumstances together.
Acts 15:36-41 2 Timothy 4:9-18
So how can we practically define, and live out, “Friend” more than just likes/favorites on a page?
- BE PRESENT
- In Acts we can see the very highly debated first Church split…Barnabas takes John Mark and Paul takes Silas. Barnabas, meaning Son of Encouragement, was the one who took Paul under his wing when he returned from his conversion on the way to Damascus. The rest of the Church only remembered murderous Saul, not changed Paul. And, that friendship would last through out Paul’s life…even when Paul comes to the end of his life (as seen in 2 Timothy as Paul agrees that John Mark was profitable to Ministry and affirms Barnabas taking him under his wing as he did Paul).
- Often presence is what will make the difference. We can get stuck in thinking presence is only about being able to physically touch someone. It’s more than that—it’s being a part of someone’s life by the impact you make (when for the better is the gist).
- BE ENGAGED
- What we can learn about Paul and Barnabas’ friendship is that we can see that even through the tough times and bitter disagreements we can still be friends. Paul longs to see his friends as those who were like his Facebook friends desert him at the end of his life. It wasn’t about the amount of likes Paul got, or number of sermons he preached or the letters he wrote that he longed for at the end of his life…but instead he longed for his friends! That’s what the value of a true relationship is.
- Engaged in someone’s life is knowing about the other person. Knowing their joys, struggles, funny stories, what makes them tick and even what makes them shut down. We can only learn that when we actively engage in someone’s life not just click a button on a status. Engagement isn’t just a step to take to marriage…it’s a step every relationship must take to stand the test of time.
In America right now the average person has 320+ Facebook friends and only 2 close friends…and at least 25% say they don’t have any close friends. That’s not how the Lord intended for us to do this life. We aren’t here to live a life that is only impacted by our earthly existence…but yet one that is built to make an eternal impact. And going through life alone severely, if not completely, diminishes our chances of making an impact beyond our life time. Today is the day we make the change…today is the day we chose not to #struggle and do life alone!
Take Away:
What does the word “friend” mean to you? What are the different ways you use that term?
How can we be a better expression of Hebrews 10:24-25? What can we do to make that true of our relationships?
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Tyler West 