Wednesday, May 22, 2024

I admit, I struggle with maintaining friendships. For a while, I wasn’t sure why that was. Then, I realized my parents and grandparents did not have adult friendships, so I never had a model to follow.

Over the years, I haven’t been the best at keeping up with friendships. I had high school friends, college friends, workplace friends, and friends I made in different locations I lived in. However, whenever relationships seem to get too close, I find a reason to distance myself. Worse off, I don’t give these friends a reason why.

My fear of commitment has unfortunately damaged many relationships. I deeply regret the loss of some friendships, especially those who supported me during difficult times. This is not the best way to treat people who made sacrifices for you.

Yet, even Jesus’ friends made this same mistake. Peter, for example, denied Jesus three times during Christ’s most traumatizing time: his arrest and crucifixion. Jesus’ response? Grace! After the resurrection, he offered Peter the opportunity to recognize and reconcile his mistakes (John 21:15-17). God offers us these same blessings of time and self-reflection when we make mistakes. We are encouraged to reconcile with the person we may have hurt.

Matthew 5:23-24
²³ “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, ²⁴ leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.”

I know I’m not the only one who has let go of friendships due to fear of commitment or not fully appreciating what they represented. God provides us a community to hold us accountable, pray for each other, and remind us that we all unintentionally hurt others.

James 5:16
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

By confessing our shortcomings and striving to mend our relationships, we can heal and grow stronger together. Through friendships, we are able to find freedom from our past and move toward the wonderful future God has for us.

Questions:
Do you have a tendency to run away from friendships, especially when they get too close? If so, how has that affected your friendships?

Have friends run away from you when you start developing a relationship?

What steps can you take to become more intimate with your friends?

Next Steps:
Take some time this week to reflect on your past and current relationships. Ask yourself: What is the state of these friendships? Are there friendships I can rekindle? What are some actions I can take to improve these relationships?

Need to find a place to nurture friendships? Consider joining a summer Group. Summer groups open May 25th.

Prayer:
Dear God, I admit I don’t nurture friendships the way I need to. At times, I know that has affected my relationships even to the point of ending them. Help me to learn from my past mistakes and create the relationships you want for my life. Amen.

Series Theme Verse:

Proverbs 17:17 ESV
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Today’s post was written by Connie Disbro, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.