Originally published Monday, 20 December 2021.
(Photo Credit: 123RF)
As women, we are very relational. Companionship is a part of our divine makeup. And I love it! For me personally, I love a good fellowship with my friends. I love coffee chats and weekend getaways to just kick back and retreat. Because just like any relationship, we need to faithfully cultivate it.
According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term cultivate actually means to grow, foster, and care for. In Hebrew, it means to nurture, cherish, and breed. So if we’re looking to keep and begin new friendships, we’re going to need to know how to…
- Grow in our friendships
- Foster (nurture) our friendships
- Care for our friendships
- Cherish our friendships
- Breed (i.e., produce) good friendships
Good friendships are so sweet, Sis! I like what Proverbs 27:9 states, “Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy, for good friends are like the anointing oil that yields the fragrant incense of God’s presence.” I totally agree and have been on the receiving end of this refreshment. Sweet friendships are simply a gift from God.
Right now, one of my closest friends is someone who I met through an online mastermind group nearly two years ago. Honestly, we talk almost every day via Facebook Messenger or Voxer. We encourage one another to grow spiritually, but also vocationally. We’ve done a girl’s getaway and now we’re partnering on a new exciting project that encourages and empowers women to grow in their walk with Christ and calling (see B4 Women in the Clubhouse App and join our NEW club that's all about growing weekly with like-minded women around the topics: Bible, Business, Branding, & Balance).
In a nutshell, my friend is a fellow sister in Christ, wife, mom, leader in ministry, and entrepreneur. She gets the grind. She gets the balancing act. She gets the spiritual warfare! She gets the ministry life. And I love it!
She’s definitely an answered prayer for a like-minded sister-friend. And we cultivate our friendship by cheering and spurring one another on in the work in our homes, ministries, businesses, and building the kingdom of heaven.
Do you have a friend like this? If so, great! But if not, pray for one. You will both be a blessing to each other, for sure!
For a moment and before I close this post, I'd like to share a few tips on how to cultivate your friendships now, but also in the days, weeks, and years to come. Here goes...
- Nurture online friendships (engage authentically)
- Form and foster new friendships at church or in your city
- Show yourself friendly
- Sharpen one another with truth
- Show acts of love and kindness
- Celebrate and cheer one another on
- Encourage one another when times are good and especially when times are hard
- Work through issues with love and forgiveness (let go of any bitterness)
- Go out (coffee/tea chats, lunch or dinner, weekend getaways, attend a conference together, double date, do play dates with kids, etc.)
- Meet once a week to study the Bible or choose a book/devotional study that you’ll both read
- Hold each other accountable
- Pray for one another
I pray that these ideas help and encourage you to cultivate your friendships both new and old. I hope that you'll consider your friendships, while being intentional about your time together. Enjoy this beautiful gift from God and remember what Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”
Also, remember that Jesus Christ is coming back soon. And those who endure unto the end shall be saved. So, let’s be ready from the Inside Out!
~Courtnaye
Question: How are your friendships looking, sis? Are they sweet or sour? Do you need to cultivate them? Let me know.
Also, if you need prayer, you can email me directly and I will pray for you at insideoutwithcourtnaye@gmail.com.
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Courtnaye Richard is the founder of Inside Out with Courtnaye, a ministry that helps women grow in their walk with Christ from the heart and equips them to fulfill their God-given purpose. She is also the author of the book, IDENTIFIED: Knowing Who You Are in Christ and Moving Forward in Your Purpose. Courtnaye is married with three beautiful children and is a contributing writer for ibelieve.com, Women’s Ministry Tools, speaker of a host of women’s conferences, and her blog reaches thousands of women across the globe. She resides in the beautiful Texas Hill Country (outside of Austin, Texas).
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