Thola i AppHey, There, Girlfriend: Finding Courage for FriendshipIsampula
Are you feeling isolated, lonely, or lacking in the friendship department? If so, you are in good company. The pandemic has only exacerbated the situation. Today, an alarming number of women feel they have no close friends, and if they have them, the relationships feel distant.
There can be many contributing factors causing your loneliness. The toll it takes makes us a more isolated people. Too often, you and I approach friendships in hesitation, timidity, and disappointment, weighed down with hordes of emotional baggage.
Our relationship baggage looms large because this is not our first rodeo. We all survived middle school. Fear and experience override our faith. We stop believing God is for our good. You and I cope with our lack by dismissing our need for other people. Emotional walls stand tall for protection. We create insulators, like settling for digital relationships, because we are NOT allowing THAT to happen again. Failed friendships can leave open wounds and gaping holes in our hearts for sundry reasons we cannot fill.
Liberating our loneliness calls for a faith that believes God is for our good when all evidence is to the contrary (Psalm 34:8). Not only is He willing to meet our needs (Psalm 46:1), but God is trustworthy with us in every circumstance (Deuteronomy 31:8). He also loves us despite ourselves (Romans 5:8), and sticks by our side closer than any human companion (Proverbs 18:24). In Christ, we have the best of intimacy, faithfulness, grace, comfort, and understanding, beyond what we deserve.
He, alone, sees you in your loneliness, woundedness, and need (Jeremiah 12:3). Just like the Psalmist, we can express how we feel and ask for His help.
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Psalm 25:16
Courage for finding and experiencing the friendship for which we long begins with what we may already know. Jesus is the one who gets you. He stands with you when the rest of the world passes by you. Our initial move away from loneliness is to draw closer to Jesus. Believe and trust Him to provide the courage required to try again.
Start with what you know. Jesus knows how to provide for your deficits. You can rely on Him for your wholeness.
Mayelana naloluHlelo
Building friendships as adults can be challenging. Past hurts, rejections, and failures can cause us to feel insecure and alone. Still, the yearning for relationships remains. What’s a woman to do? In this plan, Cheri Strange, mom to six daughters, author, encourager to women, and Ph.D., shares five faith-building principles for cultivating the courage to experience the biblical model of friendship for which you long.
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