Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. John 11:5

As children, we look forward to adulthood. I remember dreaming about my house, school, a career, my spouse, and children. I never considered how much energy and sometimes heartache that would go into forming and maintaining relationships and quality friendships in adulthood.

In John 11, Jesus’ friend Lazarus dies. Scripture says that Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary. When Jesus heard the news, he returned to the town where Lazarus was, even though the locals had recently tried to kill Jesus. He put Himself in danger to comfort and mourn with His friends. Knowing the danger of this trip, Jesus’ disciple and friend Thomas said, “Let us also go, that we may die with [Jesus]” (John 11:16).

Good friends are a true gift. But developing deep friendships can require sacrifice – to keep good friends one has to be a good friend. One way to do this is by prioritizing friendships over most other responsibilities. Work and chores and hobbies are important too, but the struggle is to make sure that I’m not too over-scheduled to say yes to listening to or visiting a friend. Jesus gave this same advice to Mary and Martha in Luke chapter 10.

If you feel that you’re too busy to invest in your friends, take a look at your schedule and priorities. Begin to change your habits so that you have the memory, time, and energy to be there for your friends, as Jesus did for His.

 

Resource reading: John 11:1-57