Have you ever wondered if your friendship with Jesus is a healthy one?
Well, I guess I should back up – do you think you can be friends with Jesus?
A Jesuit once reflected that when they were young, Jesus felt like a teacher or an older mentor figure…
Then they turned 30 and Jesus was suddenly someone they could be working alongside or even hanging out with…
But then they turned 60 and suddenly Jesus could have been their grown son (age-wise) and so then it was for them more a consideration of God as their friend instead.
This concept of God desiring friendship with us is a part of Ignatian Spirituality that I didn’t quite get at first. But now after almost twenty years of engaging with Ignatian Spirituality, I’m so grateful for it.
After all, it was God my friend that sat with me in the hospital this past December. It is God my friend that journeys through a new reality with me now. It is God my friend who listens to me when I rant and celebrates with me when I feel overcome with joy.
This has been one of the best gifts along this journey for me. It even has given me new perspective on this Nouwen quote – now I can look at those times of perceived silence from God as a gift in itself.
But seeing God as a friend is also challenging. I have to be willing to ask myself – am I giving to God as much as God is giving to me in this friendship?
Check out my latest post for IgnatianSpirituality.com as I reflect on this friendship of mine and what it takes to make it a bit healthier.
