Godly friendships

[Jean in Newcastle]

Note: We have friendships with people of all creeds or even those with no special creed at all. We enjoy all our friends and all are precious. This thread is because I'm trying to think through some stuff about a select group of friends who (I hope) have a significant impact on my spiritual life.

 

1. How would you define a godly friendship? (I realize that many people will define this differently. I welcome all your definitions - even if you are not "Christian". I find a variety of viewpoints helpful to trying to define what I believe.)

 

2. Do you have godly friendships now? Do your children?

 

3. Did you have godly friendships while you were growing up?

 

4. Do you think there is a general age when it gets more important or even possible to have godly friendship?

 

(I'll give my answers later, after I talk this over with dh on our evening walk!)

[Heather in Neverland]

1. How would you define a godly friendship? A friendship that helps me to grow as a follower of Christ.

 

2. Do you have godly friendships now? Yes. Do your children? Yes

 

3. Did you have godly friendships while you were growing up? Yes

 

4. Do you think there is a general age when it gets more important or even possible to have godly friendship? From the moment a child is able to understand right from wrong it is important to have people in his/her life that strive to make the right choices. It is especially important as a teenager and young adult and still important as you grow older so that you finish well.

[Denisemomof4]

1. How would you define a godly friendship? (I realize that many people will define this differently. I welcome all your definitions - even if you are not "Christian". I find a variety of viewpoints helpful to trying to define what I believe .)

 

in my opinion, a godly friendship is one of honesty, grace and nurture. Honesty is important and we need to hold each other accountable. If I'm sinning and my friend DOESN'T talk to me about it, she's not holding me accountable as I think friends should. Grace to overlook my faults and love me for me is important. Nurture - I think it's important that we help our friends grow in their relationship with the Lord and pray with and for them.

 

2. Do you have godly friendships now? we are blessed by many Do your children? yes

 

3. Did you have godly friendships while you were growing up? no, I was not a godly kid and wasn't raised in a godly family.

 

4. Do you think there is a general age when it gets more important or even possible to have godly friendship? I think it would helped me tremendously in my teen years to have a relationship with God and to have friends who shared my faith. It's very important to me now to have that with other mom's who are raising their kids with the same morals and values as I have.

 

 

This is going to be good! :bigear:

[Jean in Newcastle]

OK - I'm getting back with my emerging viewpoint now.

 

1. A godly friendship is any friendship with a godly person. My dh says that you can have godly acquaintances too! Sometimes their impact on you is big, sometimes little, but they do encourage you in your faith. As Denise mentioned, sometimes it involves challenging each other to do better.

 

2. I have a few godly friendships. So does dh. My dc have godly friendships with godly adults who have befriended them. At this age, I can't really say that they have any godly friends who are their age.

 

I didn't have any godly friendships until I was Jr. High age and older.

 

3. I'm sure godly friendships probably grow in impact as the people involved grow in their own faith and even emotional maturity. When I look at my children I find that even their young Christian friends tend to pull them away in some way from their walk with God instead of the other way around. I think that's because of a lack of wisdom - both godly and secular. I'm starting to see that change in ds11. I'm hoping that God will give him some godly friends his age.