Genuine Friendships Are Intentional
If you wanted to keep your friends with you, then you need to be intentional. Genuine friendship doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and effort. Yes, it’s a gift from God, but you also need to take good care of it. And just like any other relationship, it also takes commitment. If you desire to have good friends with you, then ask God to teach you how to become a true friend first. And only then will you realize that the road will never be easy, but everything will be worth it. There will be ups and downs along the way, but God will be there to help you. He will turn your relationships into a reflection of His great love for you. Just listen to His voice and let Him guide you.
Treat God as your friend first. It’s the most important foundation that you need to have deep within. The world will change, and that includes your friends. There are moments when you need to grow separately, and sometimes, it will cause a lot of misunderstandings. And during those moments, God will let you experience His presence, and you will discover Him as your best friend. Only then will you learn to depend more on Him. You will stop relying on the people around you. Instead, you will put your trust in Him because you know that He is the only one who will never leave your side. When you experience God as your friend, you will also learn how to accept others. You will begin to see things differently, and He will be the one who will show you how to become a true friend to others.
He will teach you how to manage your expectations. There are moments when you feel so frustrated with your friends because it seems like you can’t feel their presence when you need them the most. But then, deep within, your expectations are just too high for them to reach. And when they can’t do the things that you want them to do, you will feel so disappointed. Just learn to evaluate the expectations you have inside. Allow God to change it and replace it with something better. Your friends don’t exist just for you to have a helping hand in moments when you feel so broken. God gave them to you so that you will learn to reach out to them even in times when you can’t understand what’s happening.
Choose to forgive your friends if they committed mistakes and accept the fact that we are all imperfect. If you are struggling and have a hard time in life, always remember that your friends are also human. Maybe they are also going through many things. That’s why you can’t feel their presence. You just have to be patient, and instead of waiting for them to do something, just reach out to them and let them feel your presence. Be intentional in everything that you do for them and love them like how God loves you.
