“Like iron sharpens iron so a friend sharpens a friend. Proverbs 27:17”
I agree with Osho: “Friendship is the purest love.” @dhariusdaniels masterfully expounds on the beauty of the unconditional love of friendship in his book Relational Intelligence. I listened to his chapter on friendship and all I can say is WOAH 🙌🏽💥. I know every word to be TRUE because it is my lived experience. I’m so grateful that God sees fit to send me the gift of confirmation through His messengers. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect way to head into retreat over the next few days.
But before I unplug, here are a few truths on the unconditional love of friendship that resonated so very deeply in my spirit:
“Good friendships help us become what we could not become without those relationships. That’s how you know you have a solid friendship. You will see yourself grow and become better as a result of interacting with that person.
There are some people we can never become until some people come into our lives.”
“We will never be able to give back to someone in relationship exactly what they give to us. But we can give something. Reciprocation is a way to steward relationships. Reciprocation helps us minimize the likelihood of exploitation in relationships. It prevents us from using people and being used.”
“All our relationships have the potential to be fruitful, flourishing and fulfilling. Connection enables us to produce things. It’s when an individual is an asset not just a liability. There is vitality. There is voracity. There is the unexplainable, incommunicable “it” factor. It’s the ability to say I know you more and I don’t love you less.”
“Those relationships are the one place where we’re able to be our authentic selves. Authentic friendship affirms. Our friendships should be uninhibited in many ways, a place we are unashamed. They are vessels for an enormous manifestation of God’s unconditional love for us.”
May we examine the fruit of our friendships and gain a greater understanding of their eternal purpose. May we honor and value our friendships thanking God for the gift of these special vessels of unconditional love🙏🏽