The Spirituality of Friendship

[blessedstar]

I have thought about this abit more since my absence from the forums due to working (but holidays approach!!! ). All day I work with young people. I spend my time listening to them and them listening to me and me listening to teachers and them listening to me. How much must they overlook about me?

I came to the conclusion it must be a great deal as I am a sinner and I do not know how truly irritating, boring, hurtful, careless in speech, unkind thoughtlessly etc I can be or perceived to be!

This is true friendship…to let the dross go and to keep what is good. To look upon what is good and see that even a small measure of what is good is worth keeping despite all the dross that may come with it.

I believe this is what God does with us, how much dross we truly are and yet for that small ounce of gold that is our goodness He died for us because when the rest is burnt away how bright that small piece of goodness burns, how bright it is and how it can set the world alight in Christ, how it can set others alight, who casting away what is dross are inspired by the ounce of goodness.

There will only ever be two perfect friends to us, Jesus and Mary, as for the rest of us we have to bear with each other because what is good is worth the effort of enduring patiently the dross we impose upon each other because amongst this God speaks to men through men and therefore commands we recognise within all men Himself.

God suffered for our friendship in the eternal moment and we have a short time to suffer for each others friendship and for God’s; this is why forgiveness is the greatest Christian commandment.

Love , peace and prayers

 

[Rammy]

Gosh you sound a bit more at peace today, and confident in his love…actually i hear hope and love for what gods plan has before you and me. Very nice post.

I was getting the just of this one word, but struggle with some language issues (LD"S) What is DROSS…curious, as i have never heard the word before. I’d love to know, and absorb even more meaning from your terminology.

God bless,

Lana

 

[blessedstar]

Gosh you sound a bit more at peace today, and confident in his love…actually i hear hope and love for what gods plan has before you and me. Very nice post.

I was getting the just of this one word, but struggle with some language issues (LD"S) What is DROSS…curious, as i have never heard the word before. I’d love to know, and absorb even more meaning from your terminology.

God bless,

Lana

Thank you for your reply.

Dross is refered to by St Paul in Sacred Scripture though I don’t know exactly where though I know the Scripture ‘The wood, hay and stubble, or dross will be burned out or purged out by fire from the gold, silver and precious stones’. I think St Paul is referring to God’s purgation of the soul either whilst still on earth (as some suffer purgatory whilst still on earth) or in purgatory.

Dross is mentioned in other parts of Sacred Scripture too I think in Ezekiel and God’s refining fire is also mentioned throughout Sacred Scripture OT and NT.

Dross is a term that is used in the melting of metals. Dross is the scum or waste that is left over after the metals have been melted to get rid of impurities.

Thank you for the blessing and God bless you too.

 

[Rammy]

Thank you very much, and if imaginable to me, your post became profoundly more interesting now.

Gonna read it over again tomorrow when i am less tired, as there is lots to contemplate here.

Lana

 

[kmabba]

What you write blessedstar is very true. Unfortunately accepting the dross and extending forgiveness doesn’t always work as I just found out once again. However, that should not disturb us nor, I guess, prevent one from trying again.

 

[Rammy]

What you write blessedstar is very true. Unfortunately accepting the dross and extending forgiveness doesn’t always work as I just found out once again. However, that should not disturb us nor, I guess, prevent one from trying again.

I am sad for you that this had little effect on the reciever right now. But very proud of you to still do the right thing for you, and the goodness of you and your soul. This is a wonderful way of purging what it is that we need to to amplify the goodness God can bring to our hearts.

God seen you do this, and was mighty proud you were brave to follow through. As my little girls says, “I just got a love zap from God mamma!” You see, she believes that God can tell her what is the true answer to her questions or delemas, if she truly listens. When she actually has faith in this inner voice, she feels Gods proudness in celebrating this fact. The feeling is sent right to her heart from God, so this is what she has called getting a love zap from God.

If you listen, and seek HIS aproval, you to will be zapped!

That is more important than any other forms of approval.

Good job!

Lana

 

[blessedstar]

What you write blessedstar is very true. Unfortunately accepting the dross and extending forgiveness doesn’t always work as I just found out once again. However, that should not disturb us nor, I guess, prevent one from trying again.

I like what Rammy wrote. It isn’t always the outcome because you cannot control anothers free will, you only have control over your own free will. God doesn’t seek to control the free will of His Children. God let’s them play like children. I have often thought how the silliness of my play is only made good because I offer it to God. I look at it like this yes we are adults, but still we play like children though we think like adults and live like adults we are still God’s children and sometimes we do not always play nicely with each other.

I am not saying we are childish, but we are children.

You played nicely, you did God’s will and God will reward you for that. Don’t be anxious about the outcome because that is not down to your free will. The outcome you can only leave to God and His grace.

In my prayers.