Thought for the Week with Rev Dr Norman Hamilton: Building on good relationships

Part of the reason comes from what a colleague said to me some years ago: "Always keep your friendships in good repair". Doing that has not always been easy, but is well worth the effort.

I am constantly taken aback by how easy it is to "unfriend" someone on social media, or by how many people seem to have lots of acquaintances, but are bereft of close and supportive friends when they are much needed. This is a far cry from the pattern of living so clearly set out for us in the book of Proverbs, and by Jesus, who chose such a motley crew to be His closest disciples; and to say nothing about the Apostle Paul, who constantly refers in his letters to other believers as "brothers" or "sisters" in the Lord.

The more I think about it, the more obvious it seems that unless we have really good friendships with other believers, then we are not going to have really good fellowship with them.

We will be reluctant to share our hopes, our needs, our joys and our fears.

With such perspectives from scripture, I do not want my life – or yours – to be so shaped by pressures from wider society that good everyday relationships and proper fellowship with others are regarded as optional, unnecessary or even a nuisance. But we do need to accept that, unlike social media, good friendships and good fellowship need real investment in time, effort, prayer and thought. They don’t just appear, nor are they kept healthy by default or by only being occasional or casual.

So with the winter nights having just settled in, may I specifically urge you to reflect properly on how to strengthen existing good relationships, and how to recapture those that have fallen into disrepair.

We can all do with more "brothers" and "sisters" in the Lord.