5 Days Of Loving Others With Settle My SoulНамуна

Letting Others In by Ruth

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. — John 15:15

What does it mean to be a friend? It must have been no small thing for those first disciples to hear Jesus say, “I have called you friends” (John 15:15). Not servants. Not slaves. But friends. He had let them in to His life, and they let Him in. 

By faith in Jesus, we not only increasingly begin to know God, but God intimately knows us. This is the heart of what it means to be in a relationship with God. It is an intimate friendship in which we give and receive.

But what about friendships with people? The friendship we have with God, through Jesus, lays the foundation for every other friendship. In Christ, we have full acceptance and love from the God who made us. It enables us to move toward others, helping us to love and serve those we are closest to. 

But when it comes to letting others in, sometimes it’s a different story. There is a big difference between being a good friend and allowing good friends in.

To create and cultivate deep friendships, we must be willing to be vulnerable. I’ll be the first to admit that this isn’t the easiest thing for me to do! A meaningful friendship requires that we share our joys and our struggles on a deeper level. It takes the willingness, in time, to let some-one else know what is really going on. How they can pray for us. What we are struggling with. Ways they can love or support us. Vulnerability is like opening a window into our hearts, allowing a friend not only to know us more deeply but to love us more completely.

Sometimes our fear of being known keeps others out. Other times it’s our pride. Maybe we tell ourselves we don’t want to bother others with what we are going through. Regardless of the reason, all of these keep us from building the kind of friendships God desires for us. 

Take a moment and think about your closest friendships. How can you take a step toward opening up more and letting others in?

Father, I know You love me and accept me in Christ. Your love is unconditional. Help me move toward others in greater humility, love, and vulnerability. Teach me to open up and allow others to know me and love them with truth and grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.

What is your biggest obstacle to building deeper friendships? 

Why do you find it difficult to be vulnerable?