Have appreciated your Friends recently? According to CS LEWIS Friendship as love is not necessary for the life of human beings, the sexual/ romantic love is very much necessary, but we all can get along without friends... perhaps that's why we are so lonely today? My Friends are amazing. I appreciate them, truly. I consider each one of them a gift... they may know this or not... but it is true... Many times when i am discouraged, I pray and than God sends me a friendly phone call from one of the friends in my life, with just the right words to speak to me. What a mystery! Many times I need someone to be there, but that needness allows me to give them a space and show me what it means to love "unselfishly", which allows me then not only to have friends, but also to become one, not only with them, but also with God.
Friendships are so "fragile" today, that it takes a playful consideration of how much you should be involved in another's lives and guidance from the Spirit of God so that you can overcome little attitudes and disagreements. Lewis says that we become friends by having the same vision, and that's why we walk beside one another discussing things and each one of us focusing on what's ahead, rather than like lovers- looking into each other's eyes. This means that by God's grace we get to walk together, support each other and discover new wonders as God leads us to his ultimate purpose. It is all about him in friendship and not about us. If we realize that, i think that there will be more life/ eternity lasting friendships formed today. So far, we are self centered, concerned with our own "good" and feelings when it comes to walking with the other person. Just think about ... you will what i mean... it is our nature to make it all about ourselves and friendship has become and easy alley to do just that... you know what i am talking about it.... you can see the names of people who responded to you in that way and you also remember times when you wanted or did respond in this way to them. It is a universal sin, we are all guilty of it. That's why we need to be re-focused and begin to appreciate our friends by recognizing that they are a gift of God and by loving him even more for this wonderful gift, we will be able to become great friends, serve one another and live in love with each other.
Friendship is a gift for me, because it draws me closer to God and exposes to me, his true nature. What is it to you? Life goes by too quickly to take this gift for granted, especially since our nature is "wild" enough to live without it. How crazy is that! I encourage you to read CS Lewis' The Four Loves... it will change your thinking about any kind of "love" or loving relationship you have- in a positive way. He does an amazing job at testing the true meaning of words for love since the ancient world to our culture today.
If you want to, please take few minutes and share below your thoughts on your friendships in life... how did that work for you? Who became your greatest friend? Could you ever imagine such a gift or possibility? I know for me, the best friends happened to be the ones, I would never choose to be friends with on my own terms!
"The Friendship is not a reward for our discrimination and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each the beauties of all the others. They are no greater than the beauties of thousand other man; by Friendship God opens our eyes to them. They are like all beauties derived from him and then, in a good Friendship, increased by him through the Friendship itself, so that it is his instrument for creating as well as for revealing." CS Lewis, The Four Loves, 89-90
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