True Friendships

A few weeks ago while talking with a good friend, I asked her what God had been teaching her. As she began to share her heart with me, I noticed something stirring in me wanting to grow in those same areas. The picture that came to mind was of two trees, standing side by side in the deep woods, weathering storms of life while simultaneously striving to grow roots of strength and support. Her love for others helped to break through selfish attitudes I had overlooked in myself and had become too blind to see.

Together, through the power and love of the Holy Spirit, we were able to encourage and pray for one another. It wasn’t just about the coffee that day. It was about the incredible transformation of life that results when two hearts are willing to be vulnerable and transparent. When God’s grace and love are welcomed into a friendship, new life and new growth can result.

As a part of the body of Christ, we are called to grow into His likeness, through His Spirit’s enabling, as well as build up and support each other in the body. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:16: From him [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. God has not called us to run this race alone, but He has graciously given us the body to provide encouragement, support, care and even correction at times.

I am so thankful for the friends God has placed into my life. Whenever I am tempted to think I can make it through this world on my own, I need to remember those precious times of fellowship from the past — “where two or more are gathered, He was in the midst of it all.”

Sheryl Patry