Cultivating a Sisterhood in Christ
As I thought about how I could cultivate genuine friendship amongst my church family my mind was brought to Jephthah’s daughter and her friends in Judges 11 verses 37 to 38. I wondered during the 2 months that they wandered on the mountain what did they do to cultivate their friendship. The mountain for sure had its own challenges and they would have had to face wild animals, the rain, the cold mountain air while trying to keep safe, look for food and keep warm. I would like to think that even in their differences of personalities, they were able to share the sadness that engulfed their friend Jephthah’s daughter. I can imagine that as they opened up and leaned on each other they were able to form a support system that allowed them to trust and draw strength from each other. Each one using their skillsets to support and provide for each other.
In today’s society even though life for many is displayed on social media with only the good and the best to the hundreds to thousands of friends online, however out of the many only a handful can be classed as your true friends. And even with the handful whom you see as close can be distant from you. How you do you cultivate friendship like what Jephthah’s daughter had?
As a single woman how do you develop a close friendship with those around you? With your church family? Does it seem as though no matter how hard you try you still remain on the outside. I believe that its only through God’s grace and guidance that you can or are able to form such friendships and I have come to appreciate very much today the close fellowship that I continue to share with a few sisters in Christ.
I remember catching up with childhood friend from church and she was telling me how she missed the family gatherings that we used to do after church service. She said, “You know Betty, we tried to keep the tradition of meeting after church but it just wasn’t the same after you and your family moved away. Everyone seemed busy with their own lives.” While it was sad to hear that, it is true though, building and maintaining a community of Christian believers requires commitment. We are called to be committed to God’s family, we are called to be accountable to each other.
“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” 1 John 3:16 (Women’s Study Bible NKJV).
Be Blessed.
#J11TUD#Judges11#TheUnnamedDaughter#PurposeDrivenLife