How many friends do you have? I mean true friends? Friends you can call at a moment’s notice? Friends that you know will always be there even at 2 am?
I can think of less that 5 people who fit that category for me. Oh, some say they’re my friends. Perhaps they are in their own minds. But by my definition they are only acquaintances. We don’t spend time together any more or never have.
We have a lot of those, don’t we? Acquaintances. People we see on Facebook or Instagram. People who, when we see them in person, act like they are our best friend. But they never contact us.
I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. After all, Jesus only had 3 really close friends.
We need to think about friendship more. I don’t think we need take the time to become friends with others. We are too busy, too self-sufficient, or at least we think we are. We don’t need each other anymore.
Or perhaps we don’t want to make friends for fear of rejection. Are we afraid they will see our true colors, our sins, and disregard us like last Halloween’s pumpkin?
We need to be more intentional in making friends. What do we want out of our friends? What can we give? Are we a good friend? Do we spend time together?
God made us to be social. We need each other, especially in this world of hate and sadness. And it takes time spent with each other to make friendships and make them last.
This is a really good post, bringing up an important point today’s world overlooks. Our culture teaches that going viral and collecting likes & comments are a gauge of popularity, but, as you say, very few of us have genuinely dependable friends any more. I think the transient nature of today’s world has harmed friendships, too. A generation before ours, people tended to remain in their hometowns, attending the same school system throughout their education so it was easier to make lifetime friends. We also once had a greater dependence upon one another for childcare, running errands, doing farmwork & chores. Now we can go online and order anything from groceries to a ride. I fear our grandchildren will live in a cold, lonely world devoid of meaningful relationships. This is such a great topic and food for thought you’ve written!