Crippling laughter, overzealous singing, falling tears, melting ice cream, and hands squeezed together all too tight.
This might sound like a corny intro to a story about my relationship with a best friend (and it is), but don't be fooled. What I just described to you was not a summation of a friendship but a vivid, yet understated, word picture of a common car ride. Bet you weren't expecting that...
Making friends used to be easy back when we could bond over our hatred of crust on our PB&Js or which episode of Hannah Montana was most heartbreaking (obviously the Jake Ryan falling out). But more quickly than it seems, we have transitioned into a phase of life where choosing ours friends is essentially filling slots on our wedding guest list and learning the names we will struggle to remember when our grandchildren ask who was at bridge club many years from now.
So how do we choose? How do we know when we've found the friends that we should hold dear until the day the good Lord calls us home?
I don't have an instruction guide on how to find them and I don't have interview questions that will help you determine if they're a keeper. But what I can tell you is that my perspective on these life-long friendships we are so eagerly searching for was changed the moment I came to realize that in had found a friend in Christ.
It is a whole new world of camaraderie when you find Jesus at the center of it all. So many friendships today are built on gossip and social status, who's willing to party with who. I've had those friendships, believe me. And I am here to tell you it's overrated.
Find a friend that will laugh with you and share stories over steaming coffee or frozen treats at any given time. Find a friend that will tell you when your hair looks bad but encourage you to consider the fact that your hair means nothing, the One who knows you better than anyone else. Find a friend that belongs to the body of Christ and wants to serve with you, hand in hand. Find a friend that longs to know your deepest secrets without malicious intent but because we are called to bear each other's burdens. Find a friend that will hold you when you are overjoyed and overflowing with the Holy Spirit and when you are on your knees crying out to the Lord in desperation. Find a friend that will worship with you at any given moment, one that wrap their arms around you and instead of telling you it will all be okay, cries out to Jesus for you when you have no words. Find a friend that challenges you to seek Him in all you do and holds you accountable when you fall to temptation. Find a friend that fights your sass with scripture and constantly refocuses you on Him. Find a friend that delights in the love of Jesus above all else because that is a friend that can truly love you with His love. Find a friend that shows you Christ every single day.
Put down the expectations and the social norms. Get over the shaming of young Christians and embrace the work that we are called to do in His Kingdom. The friendships of this world are flimsy and finite but friendships centered in Christ work for eternal glory. Find yourself a friend that loves the Lord. I have found mine, when will you find yours?
