Walking with God: How Friendships Strengthen Your Faith
Welcome to Day 12 of our #GodlyAdventure! In this article, Sarah Geringer is sharing some ideas for gaining new friends and nurturing current friendships. Godly friendships strengthen your faith. In this post you will find some tips to gain new friends. When you find a Christian friend, you find a treasure.
In this busy time of the year, my friendships can fall by the wayside unless I make intentional efforts to stay in touch.
We women are so busy. Our marriages, children, homes, work and hobbies require the majority of our time. Yet we are so much happier and healthier when we cultivate our friendships. Our friendships with Christian women help us walk well with God. When I make time for my friends, I find a wellspring of peace that carries me through life’s challenges.
God Cares About Our Friendships
I love the story of Jonathan and David’s friendship in 1 Samuel 18-20. They had an immediate, strong bond. These two young men enjoyed one another’s company and defended one another.
Jonathan and David supported each other in trials. In 1 Samuel 23:16 NLT, we read, “Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God.” They intentionally strengthened one another’s faith and looked out for each other.
I believe God preserved Jonathan and David’s story in Scripture as a model for us. He knows how important friendships are to our spiritual growth. Our friends can lift us up and stand in the gap when family members don’t support us. Your friend may love you like a sister, but she still has valuable objectivity that a family member can’t offer.
When you find a Christian woman friend, you find a treasure. If you have a Christian friend, praise God for her and thank her for blessing you. If you don’t have one yet, keep reading to learn tips on finding a Christian friend.
Your friend may love you like a sister, but she still has valuable objectivity that a family member cannot offer.Nurturing Old Friendships to Strengthen Your Faith
Many friendships last only a season, but some last a long time. I am blessed with a special friendship that has lasted over 30 years. My dear friend and I bonded in third grade. Our friendship has lasted through grade school, high school, college, married life and children. We have witnessed each other’s highest of highs and lowest of lows. We have cried together numerous times, and we can make each other laugh in ways not many others understand.
What knits our hearts together most is a shared love for God. My friend shares godly wisdom and spiritual insight better than anyone else I know. She encourages me with scripture and exhorts me when necessary. Since she has witnessed so many of my life events, she has a unique and valuable perspective. She helps me in my walk with God.
Cultivating Local Friendships to Strengthen Your Faith
As much as I love keeping up with faraway friends on social media, there’s no replacement for my local friendships. Every week, I prioritize time with my small group ladies and my Bible Study Fellowship friends. Yes, these groups require a significant time commitment. But I feel lonelier and crankier without my regular friend time, so these meetings are essential appointments on my calendar.
The friends in these groups help me see God’s Word from different angles. I can study the Bible on my own and gain much insight from my study helps and online resources. Yet I always get fresh perspectives from my friends, who serve as iron sharpening iron in my walk with God. Plus, nothing beats regular face-to-face interaction with godly friends. As one of my local friends once said, we are “Jesus with skin on” to one another.
Nothing beats regular face-to-face interaction with godly friends.How to Gain a New Friendship
Friendships can be difficult to find. Here are some tips for cultivating new friendships in this busy season.
- If you have young children, find a local Mothers of Preschoolers group. My local MOPS group was a godsend when my children were young. Your meetings will offer a breath of fresh air in those busy years.
- Find a small group in a church setting. The church is the best place for you to connect with other women who will help you walk with God.
- Don’t limit yourself to peer groups. You can be mentored by women friends who are older than you, and you can serve as a mentor to female friends who are younger than you. You will benefit from the diverse viewpoints of women in different age groups.
- Check with community groups. If you have a particular interest such as knitting, gardening or writing, you might find a long-term friendship with a woman in an interest group.
- Be a friend to gain a friend. Remember that other women are just as hungry for friendship as you are. If you take the initiative in starting a conversation and then listen well, you might gain a friendship for life.
- Don’t rely too heavily on social media. Make sure to balance your online time with face-to-face interactions. You’ll feel healthier and stronger when you regularly interact in person with other friends.
Who doesn’t want a new friend who will help her walk with God? I know you do, and so do I!
Which tip will you apply this week to help you cultivate a friendship? What other ways can friendships strengthen your faith?
This post is based on the Peace in My Friendships chapter in my book, Christmas Peace for Busy Moms. {affiliate link}
Remember that other women are just as hungry for friendship as you are. If you take the initiative in starting a conversation and then listen well, you might gain a friendship for life.
Sarah Geringer writes about Finding Peace in God’s Word at sarahgeringer.com and is the author of three self-published books. Her book on Christian meditation will be published by Leafwood in late 2019. When she’s not reading or writing, Sarah enjoys painting, baking, gardening and playing the flute. She lives in her beloved home state of Missouri with her husband and three children, right in the heart of prime viewing for the Great Eclipses of 2017 and 2024.
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I can’t even imagine life without friends. I love the point about long term friends and the perspective they bring to a relationship. I have a friend like this. And every once in awhile she will say something and it will knock my socks off. She will connect dots I have never even thought about and it will be so spot on. And then it changes my perspective.