F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
Is it a part of our
ministry to make friends?
Yes and no.
Our number one goal is
to pour out, to love unconditionally, to bring joy, to build the Kingdom.
relationship building, friendship.
We grow closer to our
teammates while also developing new friendships along the way. On the race we
will even have the opportunity to build deep friendship with individuals of
every culture. (A little bit of the ol’ Girl Scout song “one is silver and the
others gold”)
But, I wonder, now
what? How can and do we develop potential friendships when we KNOW have little
time and will soon move on and start all over?
Humans avoid hurt and
pain at all costs. Leaving/Abandonment is one of the pains all humans must deal
with.
This is how we must deal with it:
1)
Live in
the moment.
Although the ending is looming, we
should still live in the moment, pouring ourselves out. In a way, we KNOW the
departing is soon to come and we can be prepared.
2)
Prayer
After moving on, we pray; we pray
for specific needs, for growth, for someone else to enter those friends lives
to pour into them. We pray for completeness.
3)
Continuation
The friendship isn’t over. Continue
to stay in contact. Continue to care and be real with each other.
4)
Give it to
God.
With change, comes newness and
better things. While one good thing comes to an end, another begins. While
living in the moment, it is important to engulf worry with joy. Let God worry
about tomorrow, have joy in the fact that He’s got ya.
5)
Grieve
While we live in the moment, pray
always, continue to develop the friendship and live joyfully in knowing God has
control, grieving must also happen. This is true for any change.
A little tid-bit I like to remember: in
friendships, we must put ourselves THIRD daily.
God, others, and then me: I am THIRD. Or when thinking about the team… I am ninth.
