Friendship. What a valuable lesson to learn throughout any stage of life! You may have heard Genesis 2:18, "it is not good for man to be alone." For singles, we feel left out of that verse in the context of marriage, Adam and Eve, and all that. But really it means that we are relational creatures, built to fellowship with our creator and other creation. This is good news! But what does it look like today?
In John 15:12-17, Jesus commands us to love one another as He has loved us. His example of this love is as He says, "greater love has no one than this, a person who will lay down his life for his friends." Jesus has shown us love with the sacrifice of Himself but also by reclaiming us, no longer as slaves but as friends. In verse 15 He proves His friendship with vulnerability and honesty. He is the perfect example.
What about having friendship with others? Cultures view of friendship has flaws, some people believe we don't need friends, that all we need to do is feed our own needs and desires. This never works because like Genesis 2:18 says, we are not good alone. Some believe that our friends are all we need, leading to a co-dependent relationship, the flaw there is that we are sinful creatures and cannot fill a God-shaped whole with man. Some go even so far as to build relationships with those they believe are lower than them to elevate themselves, a superiority relationship is a result of pride.
Biblical friendship is far more rich when we hold our friendship with Jesus as higher priority but understand that friendship is a blessing we should indulge in as we grow towards Christ. Biblical friendship should be delightful, to get love God's people and know that salvation doesn't just bring us eternity with Christ but membership into a kingdom of fellow believers. Biblical friendship should be a mission, building relationships with non-believers for the purpose of glorifying Christ. Biblical friendships are formative, they should allow for and encourage growth. These are models to go by when selecting or re-evaluating friendships in any stage of life.
This is applicable to my transition to a new cultural context because, the reality is, I will not be close in proximity to my American friends. I will need to build new community and it should be biblical and healthy for me to thrive on the field. I will need to cling to my friendship with Jesus and imitate His character of sacrificial love towards His friends. So if you can relate to this message and it makes you think, "I am not pursuing godly friendships," we've all been there. Always go to the Lord in prayer and seek to be like Him in relationships with others!