When we grow up, we often think that our friends from elementary school will be our best friends forever. As we grow older and go to different schools, we tend to drift apart and lose touch with each other. Although this happens and is sad, it gives us the opportunity to make new friends. Whatever stage of life we are in, there are many opportunities to make new friends. It’s hard to make friends as an adult, but it’s not impossible.
There is beauty in making new friends. In fact, you may make some of your best and closest friends in the last days of your life. Personally, as an adult now, I’ve had a hard time making new friends. However, new friends have a way of coming into my life. If you want to try to make some new friends, walk around a new neighborhood, go to a different coffee shop, or go to an event at a different church than the one you usually go to. All of these things can help you make new friends.
Be thankful for new friends
When you make new friends, it makes you very grateful. I recently made some new friends in a neighborhood I started walking in about a year ago. Even though I have only known these people for a short time, they have been some of the kindest and most loving people I have ever met. They really care about me, which is unusual for me. They are faithful followers of Christ and it is good to know that there are others out there who are still following Christ.
It can be discouraging at times when our long-term friends don’t have time for us or are busy with their own lives. This is why we should have many friends and enjoy all the beauty of new friends. Just because you make new friends doesn’t mean you somehow forget your old friends. Instead, new friends are friends with whom you can talk about other topics and gain a new perspective on things. Especially if you make friends with wiser Christians, it can help you grow in your relationship with Christ.
It will also challenge your walk with Christ because your new friend can be more encouraging in your relationship with God. Many of my friends in the past have not talked to me much about Jesus, although we are all Christians. However, the new friends I have made talk to me about Jesus all the time and about everything God is teaching them in the Bible. This is beautiful to see as it is hard to find people who are so devoted to the Lord and excited to learn more about Him.
A wiser word
Making new friends will also give you the opportunity to hear wiser words from your friends. When you make new friends with other believers, they will be able to help disciple you through the Bible and through their own life experiences. In one of my undergraduate classes, one of my professors talked about the importance of always being discipled by an older Christian and always discipled by a younger Christian. In this way, you as an individual Christian are always learning as well as learning others.
Never underestimate how much new friends can help you as you walk with the Lord. They can help you and share their past life experiences to warn you to take a different path. As believers, we always need to focus on the Lord and follow Him. However, sometimes the worries of this life draw our eyes away from Jesus. Your new Christian friends will be able to help you return to Jesus when you feel tired or lost. They will be there as a source of support and guidance when you struggle in life or in your faith.
Don’t be alone in your walk with God
Not only will new Christian friends be able to help you in your walk with God, but they will also help you know that you are not alone in your walk with God. It can be easy to think we are alone in this life. We look around and feel as if there are no Christians in the world. Although this is not true, it can sometimes feel really real. If anything, it can feel like Christians are hiding and too afraid to stand up for the Lord. By making new friends, you have the opportunity to build a great friendship with a mature Christian who will be able to help you not feel alone.
Feeling alone is very common for most of us nowadays, but it is not true. We are never alone because God is with us (Joshua 1:9; Isaiah 41:10). God is always by our side and will never leave us. Our Christian friends will also help us not feel alone because they will be there in our time of need. If you struggle with depression, anxiety, or another co-occurring disorder, you know how hard it can be to not feel alone even when you’re surrounded by people.
You may feel lost, alone and hopeless even in a crowd of people. Having a few close friends, like your new friends, can help you feel included, seen, and filled with hope. A single friend who does everything for you can leave you with a heart of fullness and contentment. True friends make you feel seen and loved. That’s the beauty of friendships because God never intended for us to walk this life alone. He knows we need help from other believers and wants us to go to them when we are in need.
We can always go to God and we should, but God also wants us to talk to others. We must not neglect either place because the Lord wants us to come to Him, pour out our hearts to Him and tell Him everything, just as He wants us to go to our Christian friends for support. This world is too hard to go through alone. The Lord wants us to be in fellowship with Him as well as with other believers and to have people we can rely on. Without trusted friends, the world can feel really lonely and scary. With God and our trusted Christian friends, the world feels less alone and less scary.
If you have recently made new friends, continue to develop a friendship with them. Spend time with them and listen to their words of wisdom. If you are trying to find new friends, try going somewhere new or somewhere you know there will be other Christians. It can seem impossible to make new friends at times, but there are a lot of great people out there to meet — you just have to find them. Having a true friend is a beautiful thing and by making new friends, you may find a friend that will last a lifetime.
While we should be friends with everyone, there are friends we are closer to than others. These are the friends who help us most in our walk with Christ and can call us out when we are wrong. If you don’t currently have a friend to help you walk with Christ, try to find a new friend today. There are Christians all over the world who would love to be your friend. They too are looking for a friend because true friends are hard to find. When you find a true friend who will help you in your walk with Christ, it is a beautiful thing.
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