I Thessalonians 2:17
“But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while—in person, not in spirit—were all the more eager with great desire to see your face.”
Relationships are a wonderful design of creation. The Lord put a need for social connection in us all. However, friendships tend to be seasonal. It’s not common to be close and in constant contact to the same group all through one’s life.
It’s usually healthy to meet new people. We tend to be viewed by our friends in a particular way. At times, this is toxic. We may need to grow beyond those molds. Getting new (or more) friends can allow us to recreate parts of ourselves.
Getting new (or more) friends doesn’t mean we cut off the old one’s (it may, if they are toxic). Today’s verse is such an example. Paul is keeping in touch with them by letter. We should also attempt to maintain our friendships. It may be just a couple of times a year.
We need to keep our friends in our hearts and prayers. It’s easy to have an “Out of sight, out of mind” mentality. We should be remembering and praying for them. Paul said, in today’s verse that while he wasn’t with them in person, he was with them in spirit. To do this we need to reflect upon them, knowing their routines and needs.
We should love our friends, even if not present. This requires effort. Some are better at it than others. The previous paragraph contains the initial actions (remembering them). What’s next is to follow up on the love and compassion that surfaces as they are in our minds. We can write or call them. Paul says in the above verse, we “were all the more eager with great desire to see your face.” We need to know we are cared for and remembered. Dropping a quick note works wonders.
Lord, thanks for relationships. Help us to be in good ones. Help us to be good influences on others.