Real love begins with God. When we accept His invitation, that love flows into us and transforms our hearts. Then, if we are positioned correctly, His love fills us up and overflows to those around us. Friendship, like many things in The Kingdom of Heaven, requires that we do things differently than what’s natural. The “Way”  of Heaven guides us to live so that we are positioned to experience the blessings of Heaven in our life here. Just like when we have a need, we are to seek Jesus first, and then all the things we are needing will be supplied to us. That process goes against our independent, self-reliant nature of trying everything we can do to fix and control our circumstance before asking for His help. So does jumping for joy when we are sick, rejected, depressed, or offended. But these are some of the things we are told we must do to experience the reality of Heaven right here on earth. By following the example of Jesus, and walking out our lives "Heaven’s Way”, it will remove internal and external obstacles that block us from experiencing and giving the blessing of friendship

The Way of true friendship starts with our relationship with our Heavenly Father. 

Are you receiving His love for you? Are you accepting the fact that you are valuable? 

If not, ask Him to open your eyes to the magnitude of His love for you. He created you with joy & purpose. He enjoys all your quirks, and even your sense of humor.

Are you able to accept yourself and love yourself? Are you treating yourself with value, like a close friend should?  

Here are four principles we need to embrace. Read through and consider what areas you need to interact with the Lord about as you seek to correctly position yourself to receive ALL the blessings He has for you.

Honesty - not denying, but embracing what God says is true regarding your past, present & future. 

Respect - not talking down to yourselves, but using your words to build yourself up.

Honor  - living within your convictions even when it is tough.

Grace  - focusing on your best strengths, forgiving yourself & your imperfections.

If we can't treat ourselves with honesty, respect, honor and grace, how do we expect others to? 

Once we become friends with God and with ourselves, we have life giving friendship to extend to others. Not because we desperately need them to meet our needs, but because life is richer when we are able to freely share with others from the abundance we receive in our relationship with our Father in heaven. He has lavished His love and grace on us, (1 John 3:1) and when we freely give out of what we have received, it will be given to us, shaken down, pressed together.(Luke 6:38) Friendship isn’t easy, but I have experienced blessing in this area as I have chosen to approach it from Heaven’s Way. Take a moment to read through Luke 6:20-45, and meditate on how Jesus tells us to follow Heaven’s Way in times of crisis and relating to others.  The Beatitudes - Luke 6:20-45

Blessings ~ Tami