God created us to be in relationships with others. This doesn't just mean romantically, either. We were created to fellowship with others, to walk with each other through the muddy waters, and to cheer each other on in our victories. God created friendships because He knew we would need people on earth who are in our corner, who would fight the devil with us, and who would continually challenge us to being the best Christian we could be.
However, just because he created us that way doesn't mean friendships are easy. Friendships are filled with moments of laughter and joy. But, they can also go through periods of tough conversations and growing pains. As humans we don't always trust others easily and we definitely don't always let people in easily, either. We need to break down our walls and begin trusting that God has placed those people who we seem to "click" with in our lives for a reason.
Radiating joy in friendships isn't about having it all together all the time with all of your friends. It's also certainly not about ignoring the tough stuff. Being able to radiate joy in friendships means being able to strengthen one another as Christians, it's being able to have those up front and honest conversations that may be difficult, but it's also about laughing together and celebrating each other's victories.
Friendships take work. The work is worth it. Every late night conversation, or three hour drive because someone is in pain and all you know what to do is be there for them, it's worth it. You may not know what to always say or you might put your foot in your mouth at times, but the "I'm sorry" statements and the forgiveness, is worth it.
"A sweet friendship refreshes the soul." Proverbs 27:9
I love this verse because it rings true, through and through. The friendships I have had in the past 7 years have been the sweetest and most difficult things I have endured. The picture on this post shows some of the most important friends in my life, but it's definitely not limited to just these people. My point is, I have gone through incredibly sweet times with these friends, but I have also been challenged and have gone through some difficult times with them. We never had it perfect, but we continually pointed one another towards Christ. Radiating joy in friendships is about grace, love, and truth. To put it simply it's about being the kind of friend you would want to have.
I could go on forever, but I'll stop here for now and in another post we'll visit what it looks like to Radiate Joy as we point each other towards Christ. Accountability at it's finest, my friends.
For now, I challenge you to be that listening ear, to give grace to someone who needs it, or to forgive a friend who has hurt you.
xoxo,
Rachel Marie
