There is a friend closer than a brother. ‘Is that possible?’ I thought. I love my brother and sister, George and Alitzia. Since coming to Japan, we’ve been apart physically, but whenever we see each other again, it’s like we’ve never been apart. We laugh, we hug, we enjoy our precious time. I wanted that here in Sapporo, too.

There are acquaintances.
Friends. And close friends, like friends that are closer than a brother. Like “a brother from another mother.” Or sister, of course.

It doesn’t matter how many friends you have on LINE or Facebook or how many followers on Instagram, tiktok, or on X. That doesn’t matter, that’s not truly fulfilling. Some people are desperate for that number to grow because they want to feel accepted. But at the end of the day, those are not real friends. Real friends are with you through the hard times. Real friends tell you ways to grow, even when it’s hard to take that advice. Real friends don’t judge you, they love you, and they have grace for any mistakes you might make.

In this day and age of social media, it’s easy to cut someone off and never see someone again. But that doesn’t help you grow to have mature relationships. Sometimes you do need to close the door to a relationship, if it is toxic or unhealthy. Like, every time after you hang out, you feel sad, negative, or down. But for friends that uplift, love, and encourage, that’s great to be around. They’re not perfect either though, they might offend you or hurt you some day. But when they do, realize they have forgiven you quickly and loved you when you made mistakes, too. These friendships like family are hard to find. Like a diamond in the rough.

I didn’t think I could survive in Sapporo without a family to talk to, live life together. But then I found a local Christian church. After a couple of weeks of attending, I noticed they were really caring about me. When I got sick, they’d keep in touch. When I felt down, they’d pray for me. When I got depressed, they didn’t judge me, they didn’t give up on me, they loved me and tried to help.

The best part was, our friendship wasn’t based on the natural human selfish thoughts of “what can I get out of this relationship?”

It truly felt like they thought, “how can I help you, what can I do for you?” That generosity was amazing to me. I thought, I want to be like that too. I felt grateful to find this church community, because they have become my family here now. And I love the church family, because they are always welcoming new people – you are welcome, too!

Christian or not, it doesn’t matter. If you’re seeking those friendships, some way to grow in relationships, and even healing in the relationship area, church is a great place to start. No church is perfect, just as no person is perfect. But I do pray that everyone listening can have those friends like family in their lives. They become eternal friendships. Loving, caring, encouraging.

The song for this week is:

“No Man Is an Island” by Tenth Avenue North:　

This song emphasizes that none of us are meant to go through life alone, and that deep friendships that feel like family are essential in the journey.
この曲は、誰も一人で人生を歩むべきではないこと、そして家族のように感じられる深い友情が
この人生の旅において欠かせないものなんだって歌っています。

“No man is an island
Let your guard down
You don’t have to fight me
I am here for you
We’re not meant to live this life alone”

「誰も一人では生きられない
自分を守ろうとしている壁を壊して
私と戦う必要はないよ
私はあなたのために、ここにいるから
この人生を一人で生きるように作られていないんだからさ」