Out of the 4 types of friendships laid out in pages 71-73, which type(s) do you need to seek more of? Which type might you need to scale back on in order to include the other types in your life?
I would either need friends who need friends or friends who need salvation. I have a family relationship that does sharpen in theology, but often can be ungodly in speech and attitude. Being that it is a family, it is hard to leave that friendship.
I need to seek more of friends who need salvation. Most of my friendships are friends who mentor, some of them being long distance now, but I don't think I need to scale back on any current friendships, I just need to be more intentional with including friends who need salvation.
I don't think I have any of the categories filled adequately. This is depressing. Now I feel like a hermit. :) I do have plenty of acquaintences, but I guess I haven't been willing to devote the time necessary to call them true friends (or I don't really WANT to get close to them, or I'm afraid they will reject me if I try, or etc.).
I have one very dear friend who moved far away last summer, and I think that has made it even more difficult. We're still very close, so I'm expending a lot of my (apparently limited) emotional energy there, which leaves less room for friends who are actually HERE. I think it's getting a little better, but really I see the whole thing a little like the grieving process, where it just takes awhile to get over the loss. I frequently feel lonely, so I guess that's just another indication that I need to be more intentional about making friends, but it's hard to commit, especially knowing we probably won't be here very much longer...and I really don't want to make another close friend and then have to leave her, again.
So that was a really long answer, which just really needed to say this: 1. I need more of all of them. 2. I don't think I need to scale back on any friendships in my life.
Definitely friends who need salvation. I haven't expanded my horizon beyond my Christian friends...partly for comfort and partly for convenience. However, I have family members and numerous neighbors who need Christ--so it's not for lack of opportunity. I mentioned somewhere else that I don't have an official mentor, so that's another change that should occur. As far as scaling back...that's hard to say. I don't feel like I spend A LOT of time with any of my friends, no matter what sort they are! But I do think that some changes could occur that would make my current relationships more "productive" (in the sharpening sense).
4 comments:
I would either need friends who need friends or friends who need salvation. I have a family relationship that does sharpen in theology, but often can be ungodly in speech and attitude. Being that it is a family, it is hard to leave that friendship.
I need to seek more of friends who need salvation. Most of my friendships are friends who mentor, some of them being long distance now, but I don't think I need to scale back on any current friendships, I just need to be more intentional with including friends who need salvation.
I don't think I have any of the categories filled adequately. This is depressing. Now I feel like a hermit. :) I do have plenty of acquaintences, but I guess I haven't been willing to devote the time necessary to call them true friends (or I don't really WANT to get close to them, or I'm afraid they will reject me if I try, or etc.).
I have one very dear friend who moved far away last summer, and I think that has made it even more difficult. We're still very close, so I'm expending a lot of my (apparently limited) emotional energy there, which leaves less room for friends who are actually HERE. I think it's getting a little better, but really I see the whole thing a little like the grieving process, where it just takes awhile to get over the loss. I frequently feel lonely, so I guess that's just another indication that I need to be more intentional about making friends, but it's hard to commit, especially knowing we probably won't be here very much longer...and I really don't want to make another close friend and then have to leave her, again.
So that was a really long answer, which just really needed to say this:
1. I need more of all of them.
2. I don't think I need to scale back on any friendships in my life.
Definitely friends who need salvation. I haven't expanded my horizon beyond my Christian friends...partly for comfort and partly for convenience. However, I have family members and numerous neighbors who need Christ--so it's not for lack of opportunity. I mentioned somewhere else that I don't have an official mentor, so that's another change that should occur. As far as scaling back...that's hard to say. I don't feel like I spend A LOT of time with any of my friends, no matter what sort they are! But I do think that some changes could occur that would make my current relationships more "productive" (in the sharpening sense).
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