A lot had changed over the years. It was as though, they were now strangers and did not know each other anymore . . .
They had been very good friends since they were in their senior year in secondary school. Jade and Tori were really admirable and almost never had quarrels then. They got into the same university and were living together. Now, it was as if Tori couldn’t accept her for who she was (At least, that was how Jade felt).
“Yes! I know I’ve got flaws but why does she always have to point them out? Can’t we just go back to how sweet we were?”, Jade would think to herself.
The last argument they had, Jade had it up to her throat . . .
“You can’t keep on telling me to change. Don’t you get tired of trying to make me change how I am?“, a very frustrated Jade said at the top of her voice. “I love you Jade and I only want the best for you“, Tori calmly said. She tried to make Jade understand that she wasn’t trying to make her feel bad but to no avail. Jade stormed off as always and muttered to herself, “Maybe this friendship isn’t worth it anymore.“
Have you seen or been on a ship before? Well, I haven’t but I’ll love to share little about what I know though. A ship moves with the help of a propeller.
This propeller rotates the water particles and causes the ship to move. I guess we can safely say that the propeller does most of the work.
An anchor is used to secure a ship to the bed of a body of water to prevent it from drifting due to wind or water current. In other words, it holds the ship in place and stops it from probably capsizing.
Why the small talk about ships? It is to let us know that ships don’t automatically move on their own. Work is done whether you see it or not.
Friendship can be likened to a ship. Not just because the word contains ship but because, it constitutes more than one person, requires work and has (or should have) an anchor.
God is the author and anchor of godly friendships. He is our source and our reliable or principal support.
“Woke generation! Woke generation!” Everyone is claiming to be ‘woke’.
You hear things like, “I do not need anyone in my life“, “I am fine all by myself“. Sometime ago, there were tweets flying everywhere stating, “If you do this or that, I’ll cut you off.” This is called ‘the cancel culture’ in our days. All these somehow paint a picture that we do not need friendship.
It is such a lie though because even God shows us the beauty and importance of relationships. I mean, just take a look at the Godhead. The Godhead is the perfect example of the essence of relationship.
Whether you’re a Gen Z or Millennial, trust me, this post is for you. Let me show you what the ‘new woke’ is . . .
In this post, I’ll be giving perspective to whether or not friendships are worth it. You want to keep reading till the end.
What true friendship is.
“Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family.”
Proverbs 18:24 MSG
Contrary to popular opinion, friendship is not a bed of roses. It doesn’t just go well without efforts from the people in the friendship. Friendship requires work!
As believers, God is and should be the author and anchor of our friendships. Not what the world says it should be.
An average woke person has the mindset that screams, “If it stresses me, I shouldn’t be doing it.” We often make the mistake of terming ‘work’ as ‘stress’. You see, God sometimes uses our friendships to teach us lessons and help us grow into the people He wants us to be.
Oh! Godly friendships are not all smooth too. You know why? They are made up of imperfect people moving towards perfection. Imperfect people being worked on by God. Imperfect people from different backgrounds, having different personalities, mindsets, experiences and outlooks of life generally.
Friendship is deeper than IG worthy pictures, catchy captions praising each other on your social media or making your friends happy at the expense of the truth.
Friendship is deep!
It entails moments of shared pain, tears and laughs, back and forth arguments, emotional investments, constructive criticisms, easy and hard conversations, being broken by God together, encouraging each other in down times, dealing with differences and so on. All these and more are what true godly friendship is about.
Friendship is like a rollercoaster ride.
What to do when friendship seems to go wrong
I know you get the whole point of godly friendships now. You’re probably wondering what to do when it seems like things aren’t working out though. Here are a few things you can do:
- Give it back to God. I said this because God most likely ordained your friendship.
- Talk about it. Communication is key in every relationship. Talk about your concerns. You can also remind each other of what God has ordained for your friendship.
- Be patient and trust God. Prov. 3:5-6 advises us to trust God and not lean on our understanding. You may not see changes immediately but as long as God is the author and anchor, He will keep your ship afloat.
WHAT OTHER THINGS DO YOU DO WHEN IT SEEMS YOUR FRIENDSHIP ISN’T WORKING OUT?
Please let me know in the comment section. I’ll love to hear from you.
Conclusion
You want to know the truth?
It won’t always be rosy. Neither will it always be hard to the extent that it stresses you out. Giving up is not an option.
Keep being intentional. Nurture that friendship. Seek to grow your circle and grow with it too. Find out how to grow your circle of friends. Put in all the efforts you need to make your friendship work. That is when you are truly ‘woke’.
I know you have been inspired. Please feel free to share this everywhere. Repost on Whatsapp, FB, IG and Tweet it. Don’t forget to drop your opinion on things you do when your friendship isn’t working out. I always love to hear from you.
I’ll be sharing some benefits of godly friendship on my IG. Hit the link below, follow me, turn on post notifications and keep your eyes peeled.
Gloryinspires 