“Made For Friendship”
“Made for Friendship” — Introductory Reflection
Made for Friendship
“Friendship is one of the most familiar yet forgotten relationships in our day” (pg13).
I am so excited to start the book Made for Friendship which focuses on something I love—friendship. I love the friends I have. I love making new friends. I love all the different kinds of friendships I have—I think we need a diversity of friends and types of friendships. And I love helping others make friends. All that to say, I love this topic, and I will be praying that the friendships in our church grow because of this summer series.
Thinking about this important category of human relationships is always relevant. However, considering the fracturing of genuine relationships due to technology and social media, it is as critical a subject as ever. God made us to thrive through relationships. And there is no substitute for genuine friendships. I am excited to see how this book will help us to overcome the cultural current that is pulling us away from one another into greater degrees of isolation.
A Forgotten Joy
The author states in the introduction: “This book is about recovering the lost joys of real friendship.” And my hope is that we will all recover that joy together.
As I look back on my life, I can say with total certainty that my friends have been some of the most important relationships in my life. Before I was a Christian, my friends were my place of escape and identity. When I became a Christian, I discovered in Jesus the level of friendship I had always wanted. Someone who knew everything about me and still accepted me. In that, Jesus is not just my Savior and Lord, but my friend as well. And like a good friend does, Jesus helped me to meet other friends in the church. and over the last nearly twenty years as a Christian, the friendships I have made in Christ have shaped me in ways I can’t quantify.
With that said, I hope that you enjoy this journey to recover friendship in your life. And I look forward to seeing the fruit.
