If you don’t presently have a friend who helps you in your walk with Christ, try to seek out a new friend today.
When we are growing up, we often think our friends from elementary school will be our best friends forever. As we get older and go to different schools, we tend to drift away and lose contact with each other. Even though this happens and it is sad, it gives us the opportunity to make new friends. No matter what stage of life we are in, there are many opportunities to make new friends. It is difficult to make friends as adults, but it is not impossible.
There is beauty in making new friends. In fact, you might make some of your best and closest friends in your latter days of life. Personally, as an adult now, I have found it hard to make new friends; however, new friends have a way of coming into my life. If you want to try to find some new friends, walk around a new neighborhood, go to a different coffeeshop, or go to a church function at a different church than you normally go to. All of these things can help you make new friends.
Being Thankful for New Friends
When you make new friends, it makes you very thankful. I recently made a few new friends in a neighborhood I started walking in about a year ago. Despite only knowing these individuals for a short period of time, they have been some of the kindest and caring people I have ever known. They truly care about me, which is something that is unusual for me. They are faithful followers of Christ, and it is good to know there are others out there who still follow Christ.
It can be discouraging at times when our longtime friends don’t have time for us or they are busy with their own lives. This is why we need to have many friends and soak in all the beauty of new friends. Just because you are making new friends does not mean you are somehow forgetting your friends from a long time ago. Rather, new friends are friends that you can talk to about other subjects and get a fresh perspective on things. Especially if you make friends with wiser Christians, it can help you grow in your relationship with Christ.
It will also challenge your walk with Christ because your new friend might be more encouraging in your relationship with God. Not many of my friends in the past have talked to me much about Jesus though we are all Christians; however, the new friends I have made talk to me about Jesus all the time and all the things God has been teaching them in the Bible. This is beautiful to see as it is hard to find individuals who are so devoted to the Lord and are excited to learn more about Him.
A Wiser Word
Making new friends will also give you the opportunity to hear wiser words from your friends. When you make new friends with other believers, they will be able to help disciple you through the Bible and through their own life experiences. In one of my undergrad classes, one of my professors spoke about the importance of always being discipled by an older Christian and always discipling a younger Christian. In this way, you as an individual Christian are always being discipled as well as discipling others.
Never underestimate how much new friends can help you as you walk with the Lord. They can help you and share previous experiences of their lives to warn you of going down a different path. As believers, we always need to be focusing on the Lord and following Him; however, sometimes the worries of this life pull our eyes away from Jesus. Your new Christian friends will be able to help point you back to Jesus when you are feeling weary or lost. They will be there as a source of support and guidance when you are struggling in life or in your faith.
Not Being Alone in Your Walk with God
Not only will new Christian friends be able to help you in your walk with God, but they will also help you know that you are not alone in your walk with God. It can be easy to think we are alone in this life. We look around us and it can feel as though there are no Christians in the world. While this isn’t true, it can feel really real at times. If anything, it can feel as though the Christians are in hiding and are too afraid to stand up for the Lord. By making new friends, you have the opportunity to build a great friendship with a mature Christian who will be able to help you not feel as alone.
Feeling alone is all too common for most of us in the present day, but it is not true. We are never alone because God is with us (Joshua 1:9; Isaiah 41:10). God is always on our side and He will never walk away from us. Our Christian friends will also help us not feel alone because they will be there in our time of need. If you struggle with depression, anxiety, or another co-occurring disorder, you know how hard it can be to not feel alone even if you are surrounded by people.
Maybe you feel lost, alone, and hopeless even in a crowd of people. By having a few close friends, such as your new friends, it can help you feel found, seen, and full of hope. One individual friend who goes out of their way for you can leave you with a heart of fullness and contentment. True friends make you feel seen and loved. This is the beauty of friendships because God never intended for us to walk this life alone. He knows we need help from other believers and He wants us to go to them when we are in need.
We can always go to God and we should, but God also wants us to talk with others. We should not neglect either part of it because the Lord wants us to come to Him, pour our hearts out to Him, and tell Him everything as well as He wants us to go to our Christian friends for support. This world is too difficult to walk through on our own. The Lord wants us to be in fellowship with Him as well as other believers and have people we can rely on. Without trusted friends, the world can feel really lonely and scary. With God and our trusted Christian friends, the world feels less lonely and not as scary.
If you have recently made new friends, continue to develop a friendship with them. Spend time with them and listen to their wise words. If you are trying to look for new friends, try to go somewhere new or somewhere you know other Christians will be. It can seem impossible to make new friends at times, but there are many wonderful people out there to meet—you just have to find them. Having a true friend is a beautiful thing and by making new friends, you might find a friend that will last a lifetime.
While we are to be a friend to everyone, there are friends we are closer to than others. These are the friends who help us the most with our walk with Christ, and they can call us out when we are doing wrong. If you don’t presently have a friend who helps you in your walk with Christ, try to seek out a new friend today. There are Christians across the world who would love to be your friend. They too are in search of a friend because true friends are hard to find. When you find a true friend who will help you in your walk with Christ, it is a beautiful thing.
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