Spiritual Friendships-by Heidi McLaughlin
Posted: February 12, 2023
We crave connections and knowing we belong. The kinds of relationships that make us feel seen, heard and safe. Life refuses to be predictable and we all need spiritual friendships to help us navigate the crazy uncertainties of life these days. Trustworthy and spiritual friendships lovingly share their wisdom and guide us into places we’ve never been before.
But it takes more than just one friend.
We all want that BFF that “gets us” and we hope they will complete us in all ways. My pastor, Scott Lanigan, last weekend made it very clear that no one on this planet can complete us fully. That’s God’s job and He loves to do it! So our spiritual friendships are here to be the hands and feet of Jesus to help us be better, stronger, wiser and more loving.
But we can’t expect one friend to fulfill all those roles.
You probably need a friend who knows her Bible, loves to memorize Bible verses and is a great prayer warrior. But what about the adventurous side of you? Your Bible friend might not like the outdoors and spontaneous overnight trips and last minute lunch dates. You need a different friend for that. And maybe you like to cook and have people over for dinner and that might include a myriad of people to design that tribe. Do you have friends who have the same sports interests as you, or love to shop and read?
And if you’re married, your husband is not able to fulfill all those needs and you can’t expect him to. God has surrounded us with a beautiful tapestry of people to help us with our untapped potential, wisdom and prayer support, and spiritual empowerment to help us find our way. And those special people that will help us find humour in life and unleash the wellspring of joy.
I love how the Bible puts it: “A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12 NLT).
And when we make the third cord the Holy Spirit., that spiritual friendship is sure to stay strong, healthy and joyful. Do you have spiritual friendships? It’s vitally important that you do. So look around and begin to build your beautiful tribe.
