The Best of FriendsChikamu

The Best of Friends

It’s easy to spend time with people our own age and obvious why – they are usually in the same season of life and we generally share common ground. But God designed us to live relationally rich lives by connecting with people older and younger than ourselves and forming intergenerational friendships. Research shows that young adults with faith champions – older, wiser, more mature Christian friends – thrive in their faith.

Scripture records several intergenerational friendships, like Elijah and Elisha, Paul and Timothy, Naomi and Ruth, and Jethro and Moses. Jethro was Moses’ father-in-law, and he was also Moses’ faith champion. The first thing we notice about their intergenerational friendship is that Jethro encourages Moses with regard to all God is doing in and through Moses (Exodus 18:9-10). You can probably share about times when the encouragement of an older friend poured strength into you. The support likely meant more, coming from someone who was further down life’s road than you were. Perhaps now it’s time to look around for a younger person in your life who needs that kind of encouragement from you.

Friends who are more mature than us don’t just encourage us; they also shape us. Jethro cares enough about Moses to ask some clarifying questions and coach him truthfully, pointing out where Moses could be conducting his affairs with greater wisdom (Exodus 18:17). If you’re serious about moving forward in your faith and life, give permission to an older, wiser friend to speak honestly into your life, even if what they say may be hard to hear.

More marvellous than intergenerational friends is the greatest friend of all: Jesus. Even though God would speak to Moses ‘face to face, as one speaks to a friend’ (Exodus 33:11), at the time this level of intimacy wasn’t available to everyone. Thankfully, Jesus changed everything. His death and resurrection made it possible for us to draw near to God in friendship. We all know we’ve not been the best of friends to God. Distraction and self-centredness drive wedges between us and our Maker. We make the mistake of looking to human friendships and relationships for completion, and we somehow believe the lie that God has given up pursuing a friendship with us. Please know: the wonderful secret of eternal life is not what you know but who you know. You were created to know God and be known by Him!

Thank God for the older, wiser heroes who have journeyed with you, and consider what you could do to cheer others on in their walk with the Lord. Praise God that it doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve done, or where you’re from: you can know and be known by the Author of your story and the inventor of friendship. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ redefined history, and redefined friendship. Jesus, the best of friends, makes it possible for you to enjoy life-giving friendships with others and with Him.