I have too many best friends. I don’t actually have too many best friends, I just use the word too much. See “best friend” should be a term reserved for the most meaningful people in our life. The people that have got our back through thick and thin.
One of the most fascinating things to me about Jesus’ life on earth was his relationship with his best friends, Peter, James, and John. There are three distinct instances in the gospel we see him pull his closest friends aside away from the other disciples: the raising of Jairus’ daughter, the Transfiguration, and in the Garden of Gethsemane.
These moments are fascinating because it shows us how much Jesus valued friendship. Jesus wanted his closest friends to see the biggest moments in his life. He wanted to strengthen their faith by exposing them to his power. He even leaned on them for help when he was at his weakest.
Jesus is giving all of us a window into what our closest friends should look like. Jesus wants us to have close personal friends that help us grow spiritually and are there in times of great need. Jesus having close friends is a recognition that even he did not want to do life alone and we shouldn’t either.
God designed us to live in community. He designed us with a longing for deep personal friendships that push us to be more like Christ. So, I encourage you to find close friends that are rooted in the gospel. Find people in your life that want to see you grow deeper in your faith and if you don’t have people like that in your life, I encourage you to search that out here at church.
Joining a small group can be a great way to get connected with people from church and to identify people who could be like Peter, James, and John were to Jesus. Small groups are a place to form strong bonds that extend way beyond a simple book study and these relationships can grow to become incredibly meaningful as you intentionally seek God together.
I will not promise that you will find a new best friend as you engage with a small group at Westbrook but I am very confident that as you connect with others in a small group you will grow in community at our church.
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