Week 1 of 4: The Purpose Friendship Should Serve

Wheatful Wednesday with Wheat and Honey Co.

Our Wheatful Wednesday devotionals this month are paired with brand new podcast episodes. These next 4 weeks, we will be holding space to reflect and grow on the theme of adult friendships. This month, you’ll be invited to read a weekly devotional but also listen to an 8–20 minute podcast episode and enjoy a free download to go even deeper with the Lord. We pray this space can bless us all as we dwell with the Lord, desiring to know Him more and understand the beauty found in His intentional creation of us for relationship with one another.

To understand the gift of friendship, we must first understand that God is our only true source of everything good. He is the only one who will never let us down, who is constant and perfect in love. God created us to desire companionship, but it’s important we understand where to find the inner longings of our heart. Our relationship with God is the most safe and pure place that cannot be replaced by another sinful human being. God is the only one who will always show up perfectly and with omnipotent power. When we understand and remember this we can rightfully pursue healthy friendship.

 
Let’s look at Jesus and His disciples for our illustration today. Jesus called His followers “friends” and shared His life with them. Jesus famously stated, "I no longer call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you" (John 15:15). 

 
Jesus shared knowledge and intimacy with His disciples. He loved everyone He encountered with the fullness of the love of God, but we see Him find companionship with His disciples. Particularly a closer circle as found in His relationships with Peter, James, and John.

 
Although divine authority is at play in this illustration, the way Jesus pursued relationships is something we should desire to reflect. His example is a roadmap.

 
Our relationships with one another should reflect God’s love, pointing each other back to Jesus.

 
Our relationships with one another should always prioritize God first, as our source of everything good and our constant. When we understand God is the only one who can provide fulfillment in our lives, we can pursue relationships with one another from a place of overflow. Opening spaces for vulnerability and courage to share with our guard down, with our trusted few, which leads to loyalty and trust.

 
Deep and meaningful relationships are meant to be done well with a few. We have limits and are not able to walk this closely with a large sum of people, but instead we should pursue this level of friendship with a few. It honors the Lord when we have the capacity to nurture, care for, and build trust with the few He has surrounded us with.

 
Whether you’re joining us for this series having experienced friendship hurt, difficulty finding “your people,” a desire to steward your friendships well, or some combination of these things, I pray God would speak personally to you, encouraging you and spurring you on in the companionship He created you for.

Britt Goff #wheatfulwednesday #wheatfulwomanpodcast

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