Day 12: Developing Friendship With God

There are stories we tell the world… and then there are the untold chapters. This is one of mine.

Choosing God Every Day, Even When Life Gets Busy

Good morning, my beautiful readers.

Welcome back to The Untold Chapter.

Today I am reflecting on Day 12 of The Purpose Driven Life, titled “Developing Your Friendship With God.”

To be honest with y’all, this blog almost didn’t happen.

I read the chapter yesterday, but I was tired. Not the kind of tired where I just didn’t feel like writing. The kind of tired where life had simply caught up with me.

I could have taken a shortcut and let someone else summarize the chapter for me, but that wasn’t what I wanted.

I wanted to sit with it.

I wanted to think about it.

I wanted to ask myself:

How does this apply to my life?
What is God trying to teach me?

And now that I’ve had time to reflect, I realize this chapter may have been one of the most personal chapters I’ve read so far.

Friendship With God Is a Choice

One of the first highlights that stood out to me was:

“Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.” — James 4:8

The more I thought about that verse, the more I realized that friendship with God doesn’t happen by accident.

It is a choice.

Every day we wake up and choose what gets our attention.

Some people choose worry.

Some people choose fear.

Some people choose distractions.

But I am choosing to seek God.

I am choosing to read His Word.

I am choosing to spend time with Him.

I am choosing to develop a relationship with Him.

The book said:

“You are as close to God as you choose to be.”

That sentence hit me hard.

Because it reminded me that God is not moving away from me.

The real question is:

Am I moving toward Him?

God Wants Honesty, Not Perfection

Being Real With God

The biggest lesson I learned from this chapter is that God wants honesty.

Not fake honesty.

Not church honesty.

Not the answer I think I am supposed to give.

Real honesty.

For years I struggled with that.

When I went through my health scare, I was angry.

I was confused.

I was hurt.

I was scared.

I questioned why everything was happening.

I thought God was punishing me.

But I never told Him.

I kept it all inside.

I cried silently.

I thought the thoughts in my head, but I never spoke them.

This chapter taught me something important:

God already knows how I feel.

He knows my thoughts.

He knows my fears.

He knows my questions.

Yet He still wants me to bring them to Him.

Storytime: What Avery Taught Me About Prayer

That reminded me of something Avery taught me years ago.

When Avery talks to God, he is raw.

He is honest.

He tells God exactly how he feels.

At first, I didn’t understand it.

I thought, “Why are you talking to God like that?”

But now I realize something.

God wasn’t pushing Avery away.

God was meeting him where he was.

Because God values honesty.

And from this day forward, I want to be honest too.

Not only with God.

Not only with myself.

But with the people around me.

The Friends of God Were Honest

One thing that surprised me was learning how honest God’s friends were.

Job was honest.
David was honest.
Jeremiah was honest.
Moses was honest.
Abraham was honest.

They questioned.

They cried.

They complained.

They wrestled with difficult situations.

Yet God still called them His friends.

That doesn’t mean they lost their faith.

It means they brought their pain to God instead of carrying it alone.

What Job Taught Me About Honest Faith

The story of stood out to me.

Job was hurting.

Everything around him was falling apart.

He was bitter.

He was grieving.

He was confused.

Yet God praised Job for his honesty while correcting Job’s friends for pretending they understood things they didn’t.

That tells me God would rather hear an honest prayer than a fake one.

Letting Go of Bitterness and Choosing Forgiveness

Another lesson from this chapter was about bitterness.

Bitterness is dangerous because it doesn’t hurt the person we’re angry with.

It hurts us.

As I reflected on this chapter, I found myself thinking about my family.

After my cousin passed away, I carried a lot of pain.

A lot of grief.

A lot of anger.

I distanced myself from people.

I shut people out.

I stopped talking to family members.

Not because I hated them.

But because I was hurting.

Now I realize that holding on to all that pain was hurting me more than anyone else.

So I have made a decision.

I want to write a letter to my mom.

Not because I expect anything back.

Not because I need a response.

But because I want peace.

I want her to know that I love her.

I want her to know that I forgive her.

I want her to know that despite everything, I do not hate her.

I want to let go of what I’ve been carrying.

Because forgiveness is not about pretending nothing happened.

Forgiveness is about freeing yourself from carrying it forever.

Obedience Pleases God

One of the biggest surprises in this chapter was learning that obedience brings pleasure to God.

The book said:

“It is better to obey than to sacrifice.”

That made me stop and think.

Sometimes we think pleasing God is about how much we pray.

How much we praise.

How much we give.

But obedience is what matters most.

Doing what God asks us to do.

Being kind.

Helping others.

Forgiving.

Sharing.

Living the way He calls us to live.

Even simple acts of obedience bring a smile to God’s face.

The Hidden Years of Jesus

Another highlight that stood out to me was the discussion about Jesus’ hidden years.

The Bible tells us very little about those years.

But one phrase stands out:

He lived obediently.

That’s it.

Thirty years summarized in two words.

He lived obediently.

That reminded me that not every season of life is about being seen.

Some seasons are about growing.

Some seasons are about learning.

Some seasons are about preparation.

And God sees those seasons too.

A Special Morning and a New Beginning

Before I finish this blog, I want to share something that happened this morning.

Avery made a decision that shocked me.

He quit smoking marijuana.

Cold turkey.

He woke up around 4:00 in the morning and decided he was done.

He threw everything away.

The marijuana.

The ashtrays.

Everything.

For someone who has been smoking since he was around eighteen years old, this is huge.

I am proud of him.

Not because someone forced him.

Not because someone pressured him.

But because he made the choice himself.

It reminded me that change starts with a decision.

One choice.

One moment.

One step forward.

My Final Reflection: What Choice Will I Make Today?

At the end of the chapter, the question asked:

“What practical choice will I make today in order to grow closer to God?”

My answer is simple.

I will choose obedience.

I will choose kindness.

I will choose honesty.

I will choose forgiveness.

I will choose to keep reading God’s Word.

I will choose to love others.

I will choose to let go of bitterness.

I will choose to trust God even when I don’t understand everything.

Because friendship with God is not an accident.

It is a choice.

And today, I choose Him.

Bible Verse

“Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.” — James 4:8

Motivational Quote

“The closer we walk with God, the more we discover that honesty, obedience, and forgiveness are the pathways to true friendship with Him.”

Question for Readers

What practical choice will you make today to grow closer to God?

A Moment of Reflection

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for reminding me that friendship with You is not built on perfection but on relationship. Thank You for teaching me that You want my honesty, my questions, my fears, and my heart.

Help me choose obedience when it is difficult.

Help me choose forgiveness when it hurts.

Help me choose kindness when it is easier to be bitter.

Most of all, help me draw closer to You every day.

Thank You for never giving up on me and for meeting me exactly where I am.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

My story isn’t perfect, but it’s real and I’m still standing, still growing, and still becoming.

One Last Thought Before You Go

Life is full of chapters we don’t always understand while we’re living them. But I’m learning that sometimes the most powerful stories come from the moments we thought would break us.

And if there’s one thing I’ve realized, it’s this: every season of life has a lesson waiting inside of it.

So here’s something I want you to think about today:

What is one moment in your life that changed the way you see yourself?

I would love to hear your story in the comments. Your experience might be the encouragement someone else needs today.

And if this message spoke to you, make sure you come back tomorrow… because I’ll be sharing another chapter of “The Untold Truth.”

Until next time,

Internal Links

Helpful Resources

Follow My Journey

💚 If you feel led to support my writing and my journey, you can donate here:

Cash App: $Anderson1302

The Untold Chapter

Day 12: Developing My Friendship With God

Leave a ReplyCancel reply