frinedships mp3

The podcast episode is about the importance of friendships and how to make, maintain, and resolve conflicts in them. The host shares personal experiences of loneliness and praying for friends, eventually finding amazing friendships. The main points include stepping out of your comfort zone to make friends, nurturing and valuing friendships, and resolving conflicts in a healthy and mature manner. Appreciation, gratitude, and mutual respect are emphasized as important aspects of maintaining friendships. Hello and welcome back to the podcast that is all about celebrating life, doing things out of love, and finding wisdom in our daily journeys. This is the Amateur Podcast and I'm your host, Sasika, and I am so excited and ready for this new episode. So today, if you didn't see, we will be talking about friendships and the crucial role they play in our lives. I, personally, for me to talk about this topic, I was thinking about my 20s, and I'm only 22, but thinking about my 20s and kind of how my friendships really took a shift from finishing school when I was 18 into now going into like my 20s, turning 23, and just really appreciating the beautiful friendships that I have, and the beautiful friendships that I cultivated. And I think I was really in a space, especially after high school, and not just because of COVID, I was really in a space where I didn't have a lot of friends, and I was really, really lonely. And so I had prayed, like literally the entire, you know, season of 2020. And I prayed for friends, and I prayed for the type of friends. I remember I didn't have much friends in like Pretoria, the place that I lived, and I was just praying for friends, and friends in my area, and friends that love God, and friends that will teach me, and will help me in each and every step of my life. And September 2021, I went to a youth service where I met one of the most amazing people who are, I wouldn't even say they're friends now, I'd say they're family. And I reconnected with old friends, even from primary school. And it's just really been so beautiful to reflect back on how God has been so faithful to me in terms of my friendships. But we're not here to talk about me. We're here to talk about friendships. And I'm here to help you, and I'm here to talk to you about how friendships play such a crucial role. You know, good friendships provide support, they provide joy and a sense of belonging. And yeah, we're just going to talk about how to make friends, how to maintain friends, how to rekindle friendships, and why it's so important to want to be friends, sometimes to want to make friends. Sometimes making friends for some people really is difficult. And so they would rather just revert to staying alone. And so I think, once you realize the beauty of friendships, and kind of, you know, realize that God intended for us to have friendships, you'll see really the importance of it. So let's dive into it. So making and maintaining meaningful friendships can sometimes or even always be challenging, especially in our busy, busy lives. Everyone is just so focused on their own thing and their own friendship group. And so it's really hard to kind of, especially in your 20s, to find a place to integrate yourself in. And so we're going to dive on some practical tips and biblical wisdom on friendship. So first, let's talk about making friends. You have to know that whether you're an extrovert or an introvert, building new relationships often starts with stepping outside of your comfort zone. Whether it's joining a new group, or attending social events, or striking up a conversation with someone, it's so important to be open to stepping out of your comfort zone, but also being approachable, which means being kind, being friendly. And so Proverbs 18 verse 24 says that a man who has friends must himself be friendly. So this verse really reminds us that being friendly shows a genuine interest in others. And that is really a good foundation of forming new friendships. I know that not all friendships were started on a friendly note, but especially if you want to intentionally begin starting new friendships, it's so important to be approachable, you know, to be friendly, to be open to hearing and understanding other people. And I think the biggest thing is also to pray about it, to pray for God to give you the courage to pray for God to give you the, yeah, the self confidence to kind of really go into new spaces with a thing of just really wanting to connect with people. I think one practical way to make friends is by whether it's a hobby or a sport, something that you're passionate about. A lot of the times it's easier to engage with people that you connect with. Sharing interests provides a natural platform for building relationships and creating bonds. And so I'm not saying like, you know, you should pressurize yourself into finding someone who's exactly like you, because most of my closest friends are nothing like me. I think one of probably the bases that we have, which makes us common is that we love church, and we love serving. And so I think find people who also love what you're doing so that wherever you guys meet, it's kind of an expression of the love that you have for that certain thing. And so, you know, once you form these friendships, the next step is to nurture those relationships, which is probably the most important. It's probably more important than making the friends because it's easy to have like 10 friends, but you don't maintain any of those friendships. You just have 10 friends, but you don't speak to them, you know, you only talk to them there and there. It's so crucial to keep a constant communication with your friends. And I'm not saying like every single day, because I know like, we are working, we are studying, you know, things get kind of busy. But it's so important to take the step to nurture your friendships. Reach out with calls or texts or meetups to show that you not only value the friendship, but that you value the person. Ecclesiastes, I don't even know if I said that right. Ecclesiastes, however you say it. I don't think it's Ecclesiastes. I feel like I heard someone once say it on a podcast. And I was like, oh, Ecclesiastes. But now that I think about it, I think it's Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes. Okay, guys, you know that verse. 4 verse 9 to 10 reminds us that two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either one of them falls down, one can help the other. Being there for each other strengthens a bond and builds trust. Also find friends with good character that you know that you can depend on. You know, it's so important to find friends where you know that if you if you fall, they won't, you know, be like, Oh, I told you so. You know, I told you not to do this. I told you look at you now like what's happening now. But friends, I would be like, okay, I can see you've, you know, fallen. How do I help you? How do I help you to get back up again? The Bible gives us, you know, such crucial points of wisdom to show the type of friends to look for, and to also evaluate the friendships that we have now. You know, for me to start seeking out new friends, I was evaluating the current friendships that I had, and not that all of the friendships were bad. But some of them like I was like, Yeah, if I were to fall down, this person whom I call a friend would not pick me up. If anything, they would probably ridicule me or something. Not fall down, like, literally, but like fall down emotionally. Or if I were to fall back down into a bad habit or fall back down, you know, in my spiritual, you know, you know, praying and everything, I don't think that person would even care to pick me back up again. And that's when you know that they're not a friend. And it is no reason to be bitter towards that person. But just to understand the role that they truly play in your life. And another important aspect of maintaining friendships is showing appreciation, like express gratitude and acknowledge your friends and the positive impact they have on your life. Just a simple text or taking them out for a coffee, just to make them feel valued or cherished. Friendship is a two way street and mutual respect and appreciation is so so key. It's so important to make your friends feel appreciated. Sometimes as friends, we tend to be like, oh, but like, she knows, oh, he knows. They know how much I love them. They know how much I appreciate them. But like, have you ever like really like told them spoken to them and be like, I really appreciate you. I really appreciate you always being there for me. I really appreciate you always being so kind and compassionate to me. I appreciate our friendship. It's so important to even look at your friendships from a place of gratitude, and just understanding who God has blessed you with. And that is coming from gratitude. Now we're going on to conflicts. It's so important to, in the sense of nurturing your friendships, and maintaining your friendships, to also resolve conflicts in a healthy manner. I think one thing that is also so important with relationships, whether it's romantic or friendships, it's it never should be you against the other person when facing a problem. But it should be you and the friend, or you and the person against the situation or against the problem. And you guys are fighting the problem together, even if it was your fault. So for instance, if you wronged your friend, and your friend comes to you and speaks to you about it, you should never look at it as, as if like, oh, this person is attacking me. But instead, oh, my friend cares about our friendship, wants to resolve this conflict. How do we do it together to make sure that we sustain our friendship, and we resolve this in a healthy manner. This, of course, requires a lot of maturity. And it does require for friendships to have those hard and difficult conversations. I think friendships aren't always going to be, you know, just on cloud nine, I think it's really, really important that when conflicts arise, it's the thing of, I'm not against you, I'm not fighting with you. But there's a situation that's happening, how do what do we do to resolve this together, so that we can continue with our friendship that I value so much. And so just understand that disagreements are a natural part of any relationship, but how we handle it can make or break a friendship. Ephesians 4 verse 32 says that we should be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. So approaching conflicts with kindness and a willingness to forgive can help maintain harmony and strength within the friendship. And so I mean, there are, that's why I said, even at the beginning of the episode, is that take these, you know, these few scriptures within this podcast and evaluate your friendships and evaluate like, is my friend supportive? Is my friend kind? Is my friend compassionate? Is my friend someone that I can depend on when I fall? And I think if they're not, it's not something to, I personally believe it's not something to raise conflict about. But I think it's just really something to take note of. And, you know, to be like, okay, then this is kind of like the role that this person plays in my life. And so, you know, some people can be really, I want to say, rude, or mean, and kind of hide it behind, oh, but we're solving conflict. But you must remember that what does the Word of God says, be kind and compassionate. So even in your friendships, if you have a friend that you really, really do cherish, and you really want to keep their friendship, you know, alive and strong, but you guys struggle with resolving conflict, I would advise you that the best thing to do would be to speak to them and say, when we have conflict, let us be kind, let us be compassionate, let us be forgiving unto each other. And let us help maintain harmony to strengthen the friendship. So, you know, another scripture that's also really going to help is James 1 verse 19. And it says that everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. So being a good listener, even in conflict, also fosters deep understanding and strengthens the bond. It's so important as a friend to be a good listener. You see, listening is one of the most powerful ways you can show your friends that you care. Attention to your friends is one of the most beautiful ways to show them how much you value them. I think when your friends share, that's kind of what friendships are all about. You know, when you're together, you share your beliefs, your morals, your thoughts, your feelings. And it's so easy to pick up on who is giving you a full and supportive ear, and who really just kind of wants you to stop talking. So, you know, as much as you are attentive of that, you should realize that other people are also attentive of you. And so that is really just kind of the conclusion of this episode. It's such a short episode that I think, you know, just like reflecting back on it, like I'm thinking now, that like, you're like, some of these steps actually really, really helped me. And so many of like, my little cousins who are like 17, 18. I have a lot of cousins, guys. So they're asking me like, Wow, like, as I see you have, you know, such beautiful friends. How do I make friends? And so that's why I made this episode to kind of also, you know, speak to them and speak to you guys of like, guys, first of all, evaluate the friendships that you have in your life. Understand that friendships are supposed to provide support, joy, and a sense of belonging. The next step that we discussed is that to make friends, you need to step out of your comfort zone. Remember that a friend is someone that you have to be dependable on. Well, you can, they're dependable. So when you fall, when you, I don't know, like when you fall, when you're faced with challenges, it's so, so important to be able to confide with your friend, and to be able to depend on them to pray for you to motivate you. The other thing that we spoke about was how to resolve conflict within friendships. Remember that you should always be forgiving, kind and compassionate. And lastly, we spoke about being a good listener. Being a good listener and showing attention to your friends is one of the very simplest ways to show them that you care about their well being. And you care about the friendship at hand. So no, but thank you so much for joining me on these insights. And I pray and I hope that as you listen to this podcast, like it will help you in making and maintaining meaningful friendships. Remember that friendship is, you know, it's a gift from God, it is a beautiful gift. And we need to learn to nurture it with love, respect and understanding. And I promise you, good friendships will enrich your life in so, so many ways. So until next time, just keep on loving those around you keep on shining and have a blessed blessed day.