Why friendship?

[KeilCoppes]

A recent quote:

Please don't take the question the wrong way, but I sometimes pose the question to myself: why bother with friendships at all? Whats the point? - of course there are legitimate answers to these questions, but every once in a while we get so caught up on the superficial parts of friendship that we forget what really matters.

I'll pose the general question - "Anyone care to present their thoughts on "why friendship?" lest we leave friendships to superficiality and "a chasing after the wind" as Solomon wrote?"

 

[Apollonian]

Hehe, sounds familiar

Thoughts anyone?

 

[Raanan]

Cause people are just cool and generally great to have around! I wouldn't give up my close friends for anything... 'cept God but he gave them to me in the first place so....

 

[Apollonian]

Why are your close friends so cool? How are they "just cool"?

 

[gizmo03]

I enjoy my friendships because of the comfort and advice I get from them. I treasure each and every friendship I have with my friends. A lot of them have been such a big help in my life whether it be spiritual, emotional, and just the day-day happenings.

 

[KeilCoppes]

With me, I am more with a friend than I am alone - a true friend, that is. Sharing one anothers burdens and joys, we are stronger and reinforce one another. We have a fellowship that builds us up, and can bring more than one view to the situation. It's just good to have that resonance with one another. :^)


The echo is true - When two are together, they are stronger than one, and a threefold bond is not easily broken.

 

[Apollonian]

"resonance" that is an excellent word in this context. Previously, I had used "synergy" but resonance is more ambient and implies a prevailing effect where synergy seems more like an application of friendship.

Profound thought of the day: "Laughing is good"

However, as much as it is good to laugh with friends, it is for the many private parts of our lives that we really need friendship. I often wonder whether it is even possible to find or to develop a friendship such that I may build such resonance as will penetrate beyond the surface. Short of growing up with the same person over many years, is it even possible to find a new friend with whom you may resonate deeply? Moreover, is it even necessary? Certainly, we always have God.

 

[Nico]

even as a true introvert i have come to realize the unbelievable importance of frienship in my life. i guess it's one of the things that keeps me living--literaly. perhaps my situation is a bit different b/c i suffered from severe depression and was suicidal for awhile, but nonetheless, when i was that way i became so inward that my life imploded and all i could do was focus on me--the bad parts of me. having friends helped me to realize that i'm not so bad and pulled me away from focusing on myself. i think there's something in giving to others--which is what friendship is. it is impt. to go outside of yourself and give. but its also important to receive; which is another reason why friends are so great. you know you could go volunteer @ a soup kitchen or something like that, which is a fantastic way to give, but it can't give back to you the way friends can.....plus, my friends are all intelligent people, who i respect and they challenge me intellectually, personally, and spiritually. they know who i am and aren't afraid to help me grow through helping me see my strengths and working through my weaknesses.

i hope that didn't come out too cheesy.....

 

[Nico]

A recent quote:

I'll pose the general question - "Anyone care to present their thoughts on "why friendship?" lest we leave friendships to superficiality and "a chasing after the wind" as Solomon wrote?"

i think also, if someone finds that a friendship is superficial, said person should look @ what part they are personally contributing to that superficialness. are you helping to perpetuate the superficial nature of the friendship? and why (if you are). the other thing, though. i value true friendship, and not in a mean way (although i think some people have gotten mad at me), i cut off friendships that aren't worth it to me. it's not to say that i think those people are bad, or dull, it's just that i give a lot in my relationships, so i need them to be worthwhile to me as well. so. any superficial ones end up getting cut off. maybe that's wrong of me....but it's who i am. i can't put the energy in. i don't handle small talk very well for very long

 

[HumbleBee]

Sweet Shalom Nico!

Well said! Jesus surely does give us comrades to fill us up with His love and wisdom, so that then He pours out of us onto others! So true that friends keep us from being self-focused. They stir us to really appreciate who God made us to be and spur us upward to reach our Godgiven potential! As do meaningful relationships help us to experience the great love of Jesus and make life all the more worth living!

 

[invisiblebabe]

"resonance" that is an excellent word in this context. Previously, I had used "synergy" but resonance is more ambient and implies a prevailing effect where synergy seems more like an application of friendship.

Profound thought of the day: "Laughing is good"

However, as much as it is good to laugh with friends, it is for the many private parts of our lives that we really need friendship. I often wonder whether it is even possible to find or to develop a friendship such that I may build such resonance as will penetrate beyond the surface. Short of growing up with the same person over many years, is it even possible to find a new friend with whom you may resonate deeply? Moreover, is it even necessary? Certainly, we always have God.

Is it possible? Most definitely; I've done it. Is it easy? Not for us rare IN** types..

As for is it necessary? I would go out on a limb and say yes. I think God can reveal much more of His character to us through a deep friendship than He could without one. Even God Himself is relational... Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all in intimate communion. So if you want to know God more intimately, one way He often answers that is through a strong Christian friendship/fellowship.

 

[KeilCoppes]

...having friends helped me to realize that i'm not so bad and pulled me away from focusing on myself. ...
i hope that didn't come out too cheesy.....

Not at all. You're in the same boat with several of us.

 

[TriptychR]

Definitely. Friends teach us that we are unable to receive love if we cannot give love. Is giving your charity only to God really serving him to the best of your abilities? No, it must radiate outwards as well, and good friendships have always helped me remember that.

 

[KeilCoppes]

... I think God can reveal much more of His character to us through a deep friendship than He could without one. Even God Himself is relational... Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all in intimate communion. So if you want to know God more intimately, one way He often answers that is through a strong Christian friendship/fellowship.

Trinity - Exactly. We learn by parallel. And sometimes He even answers in comparison - with close friendships, we sometimes learn about how much greater our communion with God can be. It can also be a comparison point for us on what is truly important to us when we face the possibility of losing a relationship or friendship. The first time you come face to face with it, you realize how much more there is with God.

 

[TriptychR]

Trinity - Exactly. We learn by parallel. And sometimes He even answers in comparison - with close friendships, we sometimes learn about how much greater our communion with God can be. It can also be a comparison point for us on what is truly important to us when we face the possibility of losing a relationship or friendship. The first time you come face to face with it, you realize how much more there is with God.

Were you referring to me? That's the second time someone's called me "Trinity."

 

[KeilCoppes]

Were you referring to me? That's the second time someone's called me "Trinity."

It wasn't an address, just my attempts at echoing ibabe. In my last relationship I thought about the Trinity and how I might be learning. The Trinity lives in the most intimate of relationships and closeness. Perhaps our close relationships with one another may teach us the faintest echo of that communion? I do know that our earthly relationships are the first figuring of the relationship we will have with the Lord in heaven - God parallels our love and His own in Scripture.

Each and every friendship has an element of love. Not always the same kind of love, but at a minimum very real Christian love.

 

[TriptychR]

Oh, so you were just ignoring me. I see.

But to continue, yes, every friendship contains an element of love. I've always liked how a mate is often described as a "best friend." It's as though all the individual elements from different friendships can be combined into one.

 

[KeilCoppes]

Oh, so you were just ignoring me. I see.

But to continue, yes, every friendship contains an element of love. I've always liked how a mate is often described as a "best friend." It's as though all the individual elements from different friendships can be combined into one.

(smile) You're a big boy, you're fine - jump up!

As a romantic, it took me a while to learn that friendship is the basis. I remember in 1st grade wanting a close friend that would never leave me and always be true. I lost sight of that on the surface for many years, with it all lost in the romantic veneer. Finally, I've learned again. If you can't be friends with someone, where are you? Why would you want to be around them, much less for life?

And yet, the friendships that don't get that close are also a blessing.
They're where the world starts.

 

[paging_jonah]

Man was never meant to walk alone.

 

[2Timothy2]

Iron sharpening iron. I am a better me because of my friends, both from what I recieve and from what I give. This applies even in the 'superficial' areas. Without friends, I lose part of who I am, and this is coming from an introvert.