Have you ever stopped and thought about who you spend time with? Or have you ever paid attention to what is said about Christian cliques/groups/churches?
Some Christians not only exclusively hang out with other Christians, but also add fuel to the fire by behaving in ways that actively exclude anyone else. Of course, we need to look no further than the Bible to see that Jesus himself did not only hang out with his disciples or holy people. In fact, he sought out outsiders and non-Christians all the time. After all, he came to seek and save the lost, right?
But today, we’re talking about what a blessing and treasure Christian friends are. As we just established, this does not mean there isn’t space for non-Christian friends in our lives…because clearly, we are not meant to live only in a “Christian bubble.” I digress.
Over the past several years, Brandon and I have been lucky enough to develop friendships with other believers. There are so many wonderful things about these friendships, but today we’ll share a few.
1.Prayer
Some days–some seasons–life is hard and prayer is needed. It’s amazing to be able to ask for prayer from friends, and it’s an honor to have a friend ask for us to pray for them. There is power in prayer.
2. Shared Values
It’s refreshing to have close friends that share the same values and morals. You can be confident that, even if there are surface disagreements, you still stand on the same foundation.
3. Discussions about what really matters
When you have Christian friends, you can speak more freely about your deepest questions. You can have meaningful conversations about God and His will in your lives. You can question things that you may not feel comfortable sharing or wondering in other friendships. Our Christian friends have become a very safe space for us!
4. FUN!
Sometimes it seems like there is an unspoken rule–with your Christian friends you need to be “good” and therefore, you won’t have any fun. However, we’ve found that is simply not true! We always have fun hanging out with Christian friends! There are so many enjoyable ways to spend time together (with kids or without).
A final note on Christian friendships:
If you find yourself needing to “clean up your act” around your Christian friends, it’s time to do some reflection. Friendships are meant to be enjoyed–so what is happening to prevent that for you? We hope you find those answers and are able to build strong Christian friendships in the months and years to come.
Co-Host & Teacher at Faith Focused Family
