Be A FRIEND

Have you ever wondered what the point of relationships are? I mean, if you think about it relationships can be messy. People backstab us. They let us down. They disappoint us. And some relationships cause jealousy and strife. With all the negative possibilities that could come out of relationships, why bother? 

We were never meant to do life alone. If you’re a follower of Jesus, you believe in the often-confusing, hard to understand Trinity (God the Father, Jesus the Son, and The Holy Spirit). Belief in the Trinity asserts that the God we worship, though one, is also three. I know… It’s confusing. How can one God be three? And before we go too far down the rabbit hole, will you just pause and be in awe of God’s three-in-one nature (for real though… Stop reading and ponder this)?

When we think about how incredible God is, doesn’t it make sense that we might not understand everything about Him? Isn’t there something beautiful to just being in awe of something so beautiful and so complex? There  is a humility in this mindset because when it comes to the Trinity, we kind of have to say “Here’s my best shot of understanding it, but God you’re far bigger and better than anything I could think of… So I’ll just delight in who You say You are. I’ll delight in the wonder of it all. 

So God is three-in-one. There are three personhoods that have existed since the beginning of time. Three personhoods that have the purest relationship since before the Earth was spoken into existence (See John 1). And then, in the creation narrative something incredible happens. Our three-in-one, existing in pure relationship, God is creating the universe. And He says, “Let us make man in our image… “(Gen 1:26). All mankind is made in the image of God. And if we are made in the image of God, then we share characteristics with God. 

In other words, if the pure relationship of the Trinity is part of who God is, then, as humans we too will value relationships as we try to be more like Jesus. And relationships will be a part of who we are. In fact, when God finishes creating he sees that it is better for man to have companionship (and Eve was created). We were never meant to do life alone. 

So here’s a simple step in being more like Jesus… Just be a friend. 

Seek out people you can connect with. Find people who share common interests. Look for people who are different than you and get to know them. But also, look for the more vulnerable among us and reach out to them. Serve them. Love them. Befriend them.

Because it’s not always about being in relationships with people just like us. In fact, Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment is to love God and love people. Not just people like us or who have the same hobby or share the same interests. But all people. People who annoy us. People who make us mad. People who don’t deserve love. 

God calls us to be a friend because it’s part of His nature to exist in relationship. And we when seek out relationships, we not only show the love of God, but we become more like Him in the process. 

So, what is the point of relationships?

​To be more like Jesus. ​