Friendship with the Opposite Sex ~

     The past few weeks we’ve discussed singleness. Now it’s time to take a turn in the conversation and focus on God-honoring friendships with the opposite sex. Let me clarify that what I am speaking specifically on today is a female who is single having a platonic friendship with a male who is single.

     If you are a godly girl/woman and have friendships with guys you probably already know that men desire respect, and you should, too. With respect comes boundaries; a good friend should guard and prize their friend’s heart, not causing them to stumble or pressure them to give away what God designed for their future spouse. It’s important to assess from time to time your friendships with the opposite sex since feelings that once didn’t exist can develop, and you may need to establish new parameters. Feelings are not something to be toyed with. So, I also caution against flirtation and seeking attention. These two tendencies are motivated by the flesh. A godly friendship does not seek what is best for self but considers what is good for the other.

     If respect is the foundation of healthy friendships, then purity should be the priority!

     I’ve previously mentioned author, Leslie Ludy, she gives good insight to the practice of guarding our hearts, not causing brothers to stumble, and God blessing us through our commitment to honor Him:

      “We were able to have pure, unpretentious brother-sister friendships, continually pointing each other toward Christ instead of drawing attention to ourselves…Before these friendships, I hadn’t realized Christ-focused guys like this even existed. It wasn’t until I began honoring and loving my future husband with every aspect of my life that I began to meet guys who were living the same way for their future wives.” (When God Writes Your Love Story)

     Maturity in Christ is demonstrated by saying no to compromise and is willing to wait, even when it seems hopeless, for God’s best.

God bless you! <3

Tera