How do you hang out with your friends? Especially that special someone you really love. To say someone is ‘your friend’, it means;
- Being genuinely interested in my friend’s affairs, looking out for him/her and trying to make my friend really happy
- You are not ashamed to identify him/her as your friend, you are ready to defend him/her against anyone who has not too nice things to say about your friend
- Getting to know more about your friend, finding out stuff like favourite meals, best colours, turn offs and interests
- Becoming really close and sharing secrets (we all like this part)
Let’s look at it this way; we have decided to make the Big G (I’m talking about God lol) our friend. For this new friendship to work out, you have to give it all it takes and just like your natural relationships, this needs dedication and commitment.
To cultivate and build a relationship with this awesome friend, you will need to;
- Love Him, really, really love Him. This part is easier because the Holy Spirit helps us out here. As soon as you ask Him to be your friend, He makes it quite easy to just love God unreservedly and the best part is, He loves you a whole lot more than you would ever think (Rom 5:5)
- If you love someone, it is only natural to try to get close to this person. When you hang out with your new friend, The Big G, you will need to know what He really thinks about you and everything going on in your life right now…and even in the future. You can do this by reading the Bible (I call this the love letter J ), praying (this really isn’t that difficult, I just talk to Him like I would speak to my best friend. I tell him everything and some more, you know the very secret stuff as well) and learning to listen for His voice…and He speaks! (Heb. 4:16)
- Tell people about Him and let them find the special friendship that you have found (Matt 28:19-20)
- Learning to make Him happy by keeping His word, instructions and believing what He has said about your present, past and future…very important (Psalm 119:11)
For the records, hanging out with your best friend is very important to nourishing and nourishing a relationship. The same way, you must hang out really often with Him (God). Learning to make out timeout of your busy academic schedules and home engagements is very important. Start your day with Him, find ways to connect with Him in your heart during the day and end the day with Him. When you stay with him, you get to know Him more. Please give it a trial!
Marvy Okoro