Skip to main content

Nurturing Lasting Friendships


Nurturing Lasting Friendships

Scripture: Proverbs 17:17 - "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity."

1. Friendships require maintenance and effort.

2. Superficial friendships may fade away with changing circumstances.

3. True friends stand the test of time and distance.

4. Thoughtfulness and generosity are key in maintaining lasting friendships.

5. Taking initiative in staying connected shows true friendship.

Action Plan:

- Reach out to a long-distance friend today to show them you care and value the relationship.

Prayer:

Dear God, thank you for the gift of friendship. Help me to nurture and maintain the friendships that bring joy and support into my life. Guide me in showing thoughtfulness and generosity towards my friends, and grant me the strength to take the initiative in keeping these connections alive. Amen.

My story

I have always prided myself on being a friendly and sociable person, able to make connections easily with those around me. Throughout my life, I have had many friends come and go, with some sticking around for the long haul and others fading into the background as time passed.

I have noticed that as my interests and locations have changed over the years, so too have my friendships. When I was younger, I had a tight-knit group of friends that I saw almost every day. We shared common interests and experiences, and our friendships seemed to come effortlessly.

But as I grew older, my interests diversified and my circumstances changed. I found myself drifting away from those familiar friends, our once close bond slowly unraveling as we each pursued our own paths in life. It was a painful realization, but I understood that not all friendships are meant to last forever.

I have come to understand that some friendships are purely situational, based on convenience and shared experiences. These friendships may serve a purpose at a certain point in time, but they are not built to withstand the test of time and distance.

On the other hand, there are those friends who are truly meant to be in your life for the long haul. These are the friends who have seen you at your best and worst, who have stood by you through thick and thin, and who have become an integral part of your life story.

It takes effort and intention to maintain these lasting friendships, especially when you are physically separated by distance. But I have learned that true friendship is worth the investment of time and energy. It is about showing thoughtfulness and generosity of spirit, taking the initiative to reach out and keep the connection alive even when life gets busy.

As I reflect on the friendships that have stood the test of time, I am grateful for the jewels of lasting friendship that I have in my life. These friendships have taught me the value of loyalty, trust, and unconditional love. They have shaped me into the person I am today, and for that, I am forever thankful.

Go deeper

Nurturing lasting friendships is important for believers as it reflects the love and unity that God desires for His people. Proverbs 17:17 reminds us that "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity." Building strong, lasting friendships requires intentional effort, transparency, and mutual support.

In order to nurture lasting friendships, believers should prioritize spending quality time together, being vulnerable and authentic in sharing struggles and joys, and offering encouragement and support in times of need. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 emphasizes the importance of companionship and mutual support, stating "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up."

Furthermore, cultivating lasting friendships within the body of Christ strengthens the church and allows. believers to fulfill the command to "love one another" (John 13:34-35). As Christians, we are called to bear one another's burdens, rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep (Galatians 6:2, Romans 12:15). By investing in meaningful relationships with fellow believers, we can experience the beauty of true Christian fellowship and grow in our walk with the Lord.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Rooster’s Restoration

The Rooster’s Restoration: When Failure Becomes Your Foundation By Harold Mawela Akasia, Pretoria Scripture: “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:61-62) I woke up this past Tuesday to the sound of a rooster crowing somewhere in the dusty streets of Akasia. My neighbour, old Mr. Dlamini, keeps a few chickens in his backyard—much to the annoyance of the municipality, but that is a story for another day. That crow pierced the morning silence like a prophet’s whisper. And immediately, my mind went to Simon Peter. Now, let me be honest with you. For years, I preached Peter’s denial as a cautionary tale—a warning against pride, a lesson in failure. I stood behind pulpits in Mamelodi, in Soshanguve, in the city centre, and I would point my finger and say, “Don’t be like Peter! He boasted when he should have pray...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Law of the Open Hand

The Law of the Open Hand: From Scarcity to Divine Supply in a Clenched-Fist World By Harold Mawela From my study in Akasia, Pretoria, I look out at a nation holding its breath. We live in the perpetual tension between promise and provision, between what is pledged from podiums and what is present in our pantries. The headlines scream of crises competing for our fragmented attention, while our hearts whisper the ancient, agonizing question: “Will there be enough?” In this climate, a primal instinct takes hold: the clench. We clench our fists around our finances, our futures, our fragile sense of security. Yet, I come to you today with a counter-intuitive, kingdom truth, a law as immutable as gravity but activated by faith: The Law of the Open Hand. The Parable of the Tightened Fist: A Story from Soshanguve Let me tell you a story. Not from a dusty theological text, but from the sun-baked streets of Soshanguve. I visited a community kitchen run by a widow, Gogo Mthembu. Her pension was a...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Investigator's Faith

The Investigator’s Faith: Where Reason and Revelation Meet in the African Soul A Personal Encounter with Truth My friends, let me tell you about the day I became a detective of the divine. It was right here in Akasia, Pretoria, where the red soil stains your shoes and the summer heat shimmers like a mirage over the Mabopane Highway. I was sitting in my study, surrounded by books—theological tomes, scientific journals, and the daily newspaper filled with stories of load-shedding and political turmoil. That particular day, the front page carried a story about our local police station struggling with only five operational vehicles to serve 152 square kilometers . Can you imagine? How does one enforce justice without proper tools This got me thinking about our spiritual tools—how we investigate the greatest claims of truth. Are we properly equipped? I recall my uncle, a lifelong skeptic, challenging me: "How can an educated man like you believe a dead man came back to life?" Inst...
Post a Comment
Read more