Weekly Inspiration - I Samuel 18:1-4 - Friendship!

Hi Ladies!  I have been reflecting on why I am so passionate about women's ministry, especially at Existence church.  I grew up in a small town and even though there wasn't a lot of competition to be had, it was still fierce.  I grew up with a small group of girlfriends and we did almost everything together.  There were a few of us that were tighter than others but for the most part we all enjoyed each other's company.  As we got into middle and high school the boyfriend craze began to unfold and I saw many of our friendships come to ruin because of jealousies and heart ache.  I was surprised at how easily a friendship could dissolve, and I was unnerved that the deep connection I felt in my heart could be uprooted without my consent.  As each day passed I could feel the competition and pressures grow.  Our friends wanted to stay together, we knew it was important to have friends, so every so often my group of friends would get together and have a truth telling session.  It was awful, and I can remember the last one I attended.  All of the girls would sit in a circle and tell each other the bad things other kids would say behind their backs (this included each of us).  Some were called fat, others promiscuous, others ugly and the list goes on and on.  The tough part for me was there was nothing productive about this confession session.  It was simply a way to state in front of everyone that we all had something on one another so we should stick together or else.  I couldn't take it that friendship meant keeping your enemies close.  Thank God that He did eventually give me healthy and long lasting female friendships built out of love and trust.

Reading Samuel 18:1-4 I see that God created friendships to be like family, closer even at times.  God says that David and Jonathan became one in spirit and loved one another as himself.

In this world of pressures to be sexy, wealthy, provocative, competitive and the list goes on, we as women need to find a way to stick together, not as enemies keeping close, but as children of God loving one another as ourself.  When we feel the temptation to dress provocatively to lure in a man, the need to act hautey to get attention, the need to gossip to get a step ahead - in these times find a girlfriend to lift up, give a woman a compliment and remember that God made us to be dear, dear friends to one another. I can't help but think that God had a great plan when he made friendship this way.  We will need eachother in battle one day.  It might not be an "end of the world" battle but it might be a war inside us and we will surely need eachother.

Dear God, Please bless all of the women who are reading this Lord.  Please give us all the ability to put aside our sinful and selfish desires to lift one another up in your name instead.  Give us hearts that will bind to eachother in love just as you showed us.  And Lord, in the name of Jesus, help us be not of this world and worldy pressures and desires, but of you Lord.  In your name, amen.