Spiritual Friendship: Learning to Be Friends with God and One Another

Afterword

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his work and finances. He was a good steward of time and energy in many practical ways, and he had a lot of “good fruit” to show for it. But Jesus warned his hearers that the worker had neglected one important priority— his own soul (Luke 12:20). Aelred wants us to understand that if we desire to build a wise life, spiritual friendship must be a central part of our foundation ( Matt 7:24−27 ). Do you want to become spiritually mature? If so, are you willing to change your priorities so that spiritual friendships can become a significant part of your spiritual formation? Finally, Aelred taught me that there is a great deal of skill and strategy in making spiritual friends. Like anything worth doing, we must be willing to practice if we are going to develop the kind of friendship Aelred describes in Spiritual Friendship . Aelred’s four steps of choosing, testing, accepting, and enjoying spiritual friends are valuable if we truly desire to make spiritual friends (see his discussions of these steps in Book 3). His advice and stories about correcting a friend, and being patient when your friend corrects you, are essential lessons spiritual friends must learn (3.104–113). His encouragement to be generous with your friends is challenging to read today, especially for those of us who live in the materialistic culture that pervades North America (3.97−103). May the Lord bless you as you make spiritual friends on your journey to the heavenly city, the place where all will be friends with one another and with God (3.134). Means: I Must Practice the Steps Aelred Recommends If I Want to Make Spiritual Friendships