Tamara
Leigh again. Yes, I'm back on the topic of friendship, this time: HEALTHY FRIENDSHIPS.
We all long for relationships that are intimate and satisfying—relationships
that allow us to be ourselves. However, what we really need are
friendships in which we are encouraged to become better than ourselves.
Jesus
modeled for us what our relationships should look like. Though we are called to
love everyone, this doesn’t extend to being intimate with everyone. As with Jesus,
all our friendships are important, but each serves a different purpose. Here
are three broad types of friends:
Acquaintances—These are friends we
know, but not well. Conversations stay pretty much at the surface level.
Good Friends—These are friends with
whom we click. We have something in common and often move in the same direction.
To these friends, we reveal ourselves on a deeper level, often sharing
opinions, concerns, facts, and interests.
Lifetime Friends—These friends are those
with whom we can pick up right where we left off, even when we haven’t talked
for months. We call them best friends, sometimes even soul mates. They coach
us, stretch our minds, listen to and encourage our dreams, share our tears,
protect us, rebuke us, and engage in activities with us. They are the ones to
whom Proverbs 27:17 is most fully realized: “As Iron sharpens iron, so one man (woman!)
sharpens another.” Count yourself blessed if you have three or four best
friends over a lifetime.
That’s
it for now. Next time—the three levels of friendship.
Yes Tamara!! You are so right! One of the advantages of getting older is knowing and understanding all 3 of these levels of friendship. Each is important and allows us a latitude of interaction. And speaking of interaction - I am blessed that I am meeting with a "level 3" friend for lunch on Saturday. She is my "go to" friend here in Florida. She knows me warts and all - and sifts through my "chat" and gives me a the right dose of encouragement, wisdom, "straight talk" and yes, rebuking when needed. I can be "me" with her and have no fear that she'll judge me - I feel safe with her and know that no matter what, she'll love me unconditionally. She is my "Ruth" or "John". It is a precious gift to have a level 3 friend - I count myself blessed. And I met her in a homeless mission - Gods ways are higher than our ways.
ReplyDeleteHello dear Pam! I thought I might hear from you :) So glad to hear you're being kind to your heart and soul and getting out with a close friend. You are, indeed, blessed. And a blessing :) Have a great weekend. It's almost here!
DeleteGreat post. And I'm blessed to have friends in all three levels! Some I've never even met. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for dropping by, Patricia!
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