Friendship. In Hebrew, friendship is “noam”, meaning, also, “sweetness.” (credit)
The sweetest things in life involve the people we love, the people we have the chance to love if we let ourselves. The best relationships are those that are built on true, loyal friendships.
What makes a truly good friendship? I think it has a few of the following elements, shown through examples:
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Winnie the Pooh and Piglet:
They can be themselves, entirely themselves, around each other. Being together is pure joy because there’s no pressure to be something different.
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| credit Carl and Ellie From Pixar’s UP |
Their relationship, to me, describes true love. Seeing only the good, and caring more about simple little things than about money or some other external thing.
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Selfless, loving service. The Savior taught us the greatest love of all, “that a man layeth down his life for his friend,” something He did for all of us. Giving of ourselves to our friends shows out love and willingness to give time.
A marriage of choice, a marriage based on and continued as a deep friendship, loving family traditions, and trust.
Through thick and thin and everything in between, the love these two had for each other is obvious. They made each other laugh, they expressed their love for each other, they held hands, they truly loved.
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Sam and Frodo The Lord of the Rings
Talk about loyalty and support. Sticking together through the hard times and the good times. Always supporting and buoying and helping each other.
Good relationships . . .
First of all, remember that you have to accept yourself on your own before you can have a good relationship. The only person you should completely rely on is the Savior, right?
- Always based on MUTUAL trust
- Involve two people who are willing to give of themselves
- Both people can be totally themselves; the other partner does no judge
- Both make sacrifices of time and are willing to do what’s best for the other one.
- You can never say ‘I love you’ too much (or enough)
- Recognize that love is worth working through the hard times
- See the best in each other and, through the other, see your best self
- Acknowledge that you can learn from each other
- Can cry together, laugh together, or just say nothing at all
Bad Relationships
- Only focus on one thing (like physical appearance or talent)
- Are always trying to change each other or tear each other down
- Are manipulative and try to make the other do what you want, regardless of what they want
- Are too persistent or desperate
- Judge each other’s past or flaws—always harping on what they’re not instead of on what they are
Now, I’m not just talking about our romantic relationships. I’m talking about friendships. I’m talking about love. I’m talking about that very most important element, that ability that we have to love and be loved. Let us not forget how divine that is, what a great gift we have. If “God is love,” and we are a part of that great, eternal plan of happiness, love is pretty central. Sisters, we don’t need a reason to love each other. We just need to love.
I believe that many things were pre-ordained. Have you ever found someone that seems familiar? Have you ever wondered if you knew them before this life? Let us not treat relationships trivially. They are eternal, and we each have something to learn from everyone. Everyone has had experiences that you haven’t had.
So,
Let us love
Let us not judge each other
Let us give each other the benefit of the doubt
Let us think the best of everyone
“And then I saw you and my soul went; oh there you are! I’ve been looking for you.”--Iain Thomas
Love is not reserved for a few people. Love is something that should fill a lifetime and be found for and in each person.