I Don't Need Friends

I don’t need friends here….

I don't need friends here is the sentence that I found myself saying when I was first moving to Comox. I was very lucky to go to a Bible college where I was surrounded closely by all of my best friends for 4 years. Last year was our grad year and we all took different jobs all over the province and for some the country. I knew I was not going to be living with all my best friends anymore, and for someone like me who always wants to be around people, this idea was hard. I loved my friends so much that I hated the idea of “replacing them”, so uttered the sentence “I don't need friends here”, I was very wrong. 

As believers and people in the kingdom of God, having close friends and a community around you that has your back and cares for you is important. Through some reading lately, I got a lot of insight into the way Jesus and the disciples interacted and went through life together, it was almost reminding me of my friends at college. Jesus and the disciples lived in such close quarters together that they saw everything each other did and knew everything about each other. Now for some of you, this idea of people living life so closely together is terrifying and invasive, but I think there's a way for Christian friendships in 2023 to be comfortable for everyone yet be very real and helpful, not just the “friends are coming over, clean the house and be on your best behavior”, but the very real family-like friendship.  

We as a church family have rolled out our 2023 prayer priorities, and one of the topics we will be praying for is “friendship”. We recognize how important it is for everyone to have close friends in their life and not just their significant other, someone you can count on, talk to about anything, and trust. 

I feel challenged by this and will continue to take risks and give attention to my friendships and make them more of a priority.

Clay Wilson 
Youth Ministries Pastor