How do you build a friendship with someone at work, school or in the neighborhood?

Many of the same principles apply to developing a friendship with God.

First, we have to make ourselves available. If we fill our time with all kinds of activities, we are not going to have space in our schedule to make a new friend. Setting time aside for developing a friendship with God means just that - putting some time in our life for getting to know God.

Second, the new neighbor or co-woker may or may not be interested in your friendship; be assured that God is vey interested in spending time with you. The only question, then, is of our commitment to do work on a friendship.

Third, God is speaking to you and me all the time. Sometimes in the song of a bird, sometimes in the attention of a pet, sometimes in a painted sky, sometimes in the kind word of a human friend. God also speaks to us through his love letter. Just as building a human friendship is founded on good listening skills, so our divine friendship is built on developin an hear for God's still, small voice. These listening skills are not shaped in a day or two. Some people have found that hearing the voice of God takes years of attention.

Fourth, a friendship is a two-way relationship. God wants to hear your heart. You can talk to God in everyday language. You don't need to learn a special vocabularly. God prefers the honest expressions of our heart.

(c) 2008 Ronald Friesen