The Wonderful World of
Good Friendships
It is often said that "If a person has one or two truly good friends in one's life, he/she is truly blessed". That phrase cannot be overstated enough. If a person is having a tough time in their lives, he/she sometimes needs a good friend or friends to help pull them through those difficult days. In our modern world, especially with all of the technological advances, people do not take enough time to establish true friendships nowadays. Men and women need to learn how to maintain life-long platonic, friendship-only, friendships. Our society is so used to thinking of friendships as one of the first steps to a potential "future marriage". This type of thinking is robbing people of the wonderful gift of being able to have life-long friendships with men and women which can contribute to the psychological, social, physical, mental health and even the longevity of a person's life. Constantly thinking of men and women as potential boyfriends/girlfriends and even as future husbands and wives, is not a good idea. In fact it can contribute to a lack of peace of mind, loneliness, boredom and unhappiness in one's life.
People need true friendships but it is often difficult to find, sometimes difficult to nurture and to cultivate. There are still true friendships between men and women that can be found if one looks hard and carefully for them. Friendships between men and women do not need to blossom into future boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife scenarios. So, how does one establish a truly lifelong friendship with men and women? First of all, people must know what characteristics/qualities they are looking for in a true friend. Trustworthiness, integrity, a non-jealous, non-demanding person, a good and patient listener, a faithful Christian, a church-goer, a confidant, one that does not gossip, a person who has similar likes/dislikes/hobbies/activities/traditional upbringing, one that can only be thought of as a friend and not as a future boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife, are some of the characteristics that great friends often exhibit and have. But if people want to have good, lifelong friendships for their lives, these individuals who want friends must also be willing to have, become and exhibit the same good and lifelong, platonic friendship characteristics and qualities that other people are looking for as well.
Secondly, if one is trying to find a good Catholic Christian friend, it is a good idea to write down exactly what characteristics you are looking for in a friendship and where you intend to look for friends. Most Catholic people are not willing to become friends with people who are deceptive, have ulterior motives, dreary, sneaky, have non-Christian attitudes and behaviors and who have lifelong bad and immoral habits in their lives. One might look for friendships at their local Catholic parish, at a Catholic dance or event, in a Catholic organization, at Mass, etc. Then, once you find someone that you think might make a good friend, get to know the person through phone conversations and try to ask them questions about their upbringing, about their relationship with Our Lord/Our Blessed Mother, about their home life, about their bad habits, about their hobbies, about their current friendships with people, about their Catholic faith, etc.
Thirdly, Catholics must know that they already have lifelong friends and companions with Our Lord, with Our Blessed Mother, with the holy saints and angels in Heaven. When times are difficult, people must know that they can always confide in Jesus, in the Blessed Mother, in the Heavenly Father, in the saints and in the holy angels at all times of the day and night, whenever they need Them. They can keep them safe and protected when they ask Them to. They can pray for and guide people in their life journey while they are on earth. Their guardian angel is always with them so they can confide in their guardian angels and ask them to protect and guide them everyday. Even if people live alone and feel as if they are all alone in this world, they are never alone. They should know that the Heavenly Father, Jesus, the Blessed Mother and the holy angels are always watching over and taking care of them, even when the person may be at their lowest point in their lives. But people must have faith that all can be well with them as long as they keep Our Heavenly Father, Our Lord Jesus, the Blessed Mother, the holy saints and holy angels at their side and pray to Them as much as they can.
In conclusion, good, platonic friendships are really needed in our society. Friendships between men and women are always possible but it takes work to find, maintain and cultivate lifelong friendships that stand the test of time. Friendships are blessings from Heaven. Never take a friendship for granted. Friendships must be nurtured and cared for. Therefore, take the time to try to find good, lifelong friends who can help lift you up, keep you energized, and who help make you feel happy about your life. May God bless you and may He help you find good friends for your lives in your future.
People need true friendships but it is often difficult to find, sometimes difficult to nurture and to cultivate. There are still true friendships between men and women that can be found if one looks hard and carefully for them. Friendships between men and women do not need to blossom into future boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife scenarios. So, how does one establish a truly lifelong friendship with men and women? First of all, people must know what characteristics/qualities they are looking for in a true friend. Trustworthiness, integrity, a non-jealous, non-demanding person, a good and patient listener, a faithful Christian, a church-goer, a confidant, one that does not gossip, a person who has similar likes/dislikes/hobbies/activities/traditional upbringing, one that can only be thought of as a friend and not as a future boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife, are some of the characteristics that great friends often exhibit and have. But if people want to have good, lifelong friendships for their lives, these individuals who want friends must also be willing to have, become and exhibit the same good and lifelong, platonic friendship characteristics and qualities that other people are looking for as well.
Secondly, if one is trying to find a good Catholic Christian friend, it is a good idea to write down exactly what characteristics you are looking for in a friendship and where you intend to look for friends. Most Catholic people are not willing to become friends with people who are deceptive, have ulterior motives, dreary, sneaky, have non-Christian attitudes and behaviors and who have lifelong bad and immoral habits in their lives. One might look for friendships at their local Catholic parish, at a Catholic dance or event, in a Catholic organization, at Mass, etc. Then, once you find someone that you think might make a good friend, get to know the person through phone conversations and try to ask them questions about their upbringing, about their relationship with Our Lord/Our Blessed Mother, about their home life, about their bad habits, about their hobbies, about their current friendships with people, about their Catholic faith, etc.
Thirdly, Catholics must know that they already have lifelong friends and companions with Our Lord, with Our Blessed Mother, with the holy saints and angels in Heaven. When times are difficult, people must know that they can always confide in Jesus, in the Blessed Mother, in the Heavenly Father, in the saints and in the holy angels at all times of the day and night, whenever they need Them. They can keep them safe and protected when they ask Them to. They can pray for and guide people in their life journey while they are on earth. Their guardian angel is always with them so they can confide in their guardian angels and ask them to protect and guide them everyday. Even if people live alone and feel as if they are all alone in this world, they are never alone. They should know that the Heavenly Father, Jesus, the Blessed Mother and the holy angels are always watching over and taking care of them, even when the person may be at their lowest point in their lives. But people must have faith that all can be well with them as long as they keep Our Heavenly Father, Our Lord Jesus, the Blessed Mother, the holy saints and holy angels at their side and pray to Them as much as they can.
In conclusion, good, platonic friendships are really needed in our society. Friendships between men and women are always possible but it takes work to find, maintain and cultivate lifelong friendships that stand the test of time. Friendships are blessings from Heaven. Never take a friendship for granted. Friendships must be nurtured and cared for. Therefore, take the time to try to find good, lifelong friends who can help lift you up, keep you energized, and who help make you feel happy about your life. May God bless you and may He help you find good friends for your lives in your future.
