Having Jesus As Your Bestie
Having Jesus as Your Bestie
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
Alexa excitedly opened the letter from the school district, confident she was about to receive great news. Because she planned to be a surgeon someday, she had applied to take the honors science class offered at her school and was waiting to hear if she got in. As her eyes skimmed the letter, her heart clenched in despair. Tears filled her eyes. She hadn’t been selected.
What do we do when the image we’ve created for ourselves based on our skills or talents gets ripped away from us? Have you ever been disappointed when you didn’t make the basketball team or didn’t get a role in the musical? In those times, we need to be careful not to mix up what we can do with who we are. Jesus invites us to find our identity—who we really are, not what we do—in him. When we understand that difference, we see that we are Jesus-followers who also happen to be bookworms, athletes, artists, and musicians. When we don’t get into the class or don’t make the team, it might make us sad, but it won’t confuse us as to who or what we are.
Did you know that Jesus wants to be the one we turn to first in times of sadness? He would be our best friend, if we asked. He wants us to seek his advice, turn to him when our heart is broken, to read and obey Scripture even when no one else does. He is the friend who never disappoints us and who stands beside us when life doesn’t turn out like we wanted.
How do we become best friends with Jesus? We remain in him, just like a branch stays connected to a vine. This means we talk to him, we read our Bible so we can learn how to follow what he taught, and we thank him for taking care of us. We trust him and consider him our best friend.
Things to Think About
- How are you sometimes mixing up what you can do with who you are?
- How can you start depending on Jesus like you would a best friend?
DAILY ACT OF FRIENDSHIP
Ask Jesus to be your closest friend and start spending five minutes journaling every day. Make lists of things you are grateful for and lists of what you are praying for.
Friendship in Action
Create your own prayer journal. Gather a plain notebook, stickers, markers, paint, and anything else you might need. Personalize the journal by writing a Bible verse you love on the cover. If you like, add some flowers and flourishes too! Use this journal to write down what you’d like to say to Jesus every day, including telling him about your friendships. Don’t forget that you can use it as a space to pray for both your enemies and your friends.
From the book
