Proverbs 13:20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
At a time when Christian women are being bombarded with false and insipid teaching, it's incredibly important for us to find like-minded female Christian friends to uphold, support and encourage us.
If we're not careful of the company we keep, Proverbs tells us we'll suffer harm.
This is relevant to me today because I have the privilege of meeting a good Christian friend for coffee after work. It's a win-win situation: coffee AND great company! Since I am a caffeine addict and have been known to like a good "blether", I'm looking forward to it.
This lady epitomises the Proverbs 31 woman and I am in awe of her. Having lost my own mum in my 30s, and having my only sister living across the Atlantic, this friendship means a great deal to me since I can count on one hand the amount of people I consider Godly women in my life.
It's a joy to have a friend I can share Christian literature with. To share hospitality with. To study the bible with. To pray with, and know she upholds me and my family in prayer as well. To open my heart to, knowing I won't be judged, but perhaps gently corrected if need be. These are the friendships we need, ladies. These are the friendships that we need to get excited over. I have discovered some Sisters in Christ recently who I know without a shadow of a doubt, I'll meet one day when we get to heaven. That makes me smile, because I won't meet them on this earth given our geographic locations and distance from one another. But I am so thankful for their influence and encouragement even from afar.
But I also have to stop and ask myself, "What kind of friend am I?" It's great to have Godly women pouring in to my life, but am I learning from that and being the friend God would want me to be? It's not all about what I can get, but should be about what I can give, too.
To have Sisters in Christ is a wonderful blessing. I'd like to encourage you to be a blessing in return. There are so many ways we can minister, if we are open to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives, as confirmed by His Word. There is so much we can model to other women who may be younger in their faith and need some guidance. What example are we showing in our marriages? Are we scripturally submissive, or do we scoff at that notion? What messages are we sending out about being a Godly mother? If we are wavering on these points, we need to seek out mature women to teach us, as described in Titus 2:3-5. This depicts the picture of grounded Christian women teaching those who are less mature in their faith.
Whether you fall into the category of the more mature Christian Sister, or the younger, not-long-started-on-the-narrow-path Christian Sister, it is vital that we learn from one another, uphold one another, stick together and thank God for that common ground that is only made possible by the power of His resurrection and his acceptance of us into His family once we have been made right with Him.
"I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God
I've been washed at the fountain, cleansed by his blood
Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod,
For I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God".
