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- Bill Gaum
Friendship on our Spiritual Journey
In the final analysis, life is all about relationships - our relationship with GOD; the Great Ones & the Angels; Mother Earth; each other; and the 
Universe. And one of the most wonderful relationships of all is friendship: friendship between friends; friendship between sweethearts; friendship between parents and children; friendship between all cultures, races & spiritual paths; friendship between everybody! Plus, that very special "inner heart friendship" with GOD, as well as with Jesus, Krishna, Blessed Mary, Buddha, Sai Baba, Quan Yin or whichever ones of the Great Ones you feel a special fondness for.
Choosing Spiritually
Uplifting Friends
The following links will take you to related paragraphs later on down the page, just in case you want to jump ahead:
Friendship with the Great Ones
Friendship with Parents (and Grandparents)
Friendship with Friends
"Friendships with Friends" is the kind of friendship we ordinarily think about when we think of friendship. These kinds of friendships are vital for our happiness in life. And because our friends have an extraordinarily powerful influence in our lives, it is crucial that we choose friends that are kind, caring, pure-hearted and spiritually uplifting. Otherwise they 
could drag us down instead of being uplifting, trusted companions our our journey to greater spiritual awakening and Self-Mastery. For the same reason, as we begin to progress spiritually we may want to kindly and gradually let go of any "friends" that are acting in ways, or choosing lifestyles, that are dragging us down or pressuring us to think, feel, say or do things that we know aren't good for us spiritually. If they want to act that way, that is their business. But our business is becoming spiritual Masters, acting in spiritually responsible ways and making the world a kinder, better place. From this point on we want to choose friends that will be worthy companions on our spiritual journey to the Light – friends that we can depend on; friends who treat others with the same loving kindness and caring that they would want to be treated with; who also want to make the world a better place; who care about the suffering of others; who share similar spiritual values as we do; and who want to choose higher, purer ways of living.
It's hard to overestimate the value of genuine spiritual friends that help uplift us and bring us joy on our spiritual journey. So remember: it is important to let go of any "friends" that are dragging us down, while choosing new friends that uplift us. And of course it's important to cherish our worthy, spiritually uplifting friends - whether old or new.
Friendship with GOD
The most special friendship of all in our lives is our friendship with GOD. GOD loves us and cares for us in a completely unique way. GOD is the Source of our Being; the Source of our Divine Nature; the Source of our Innermost Reality; the Source of all Goodness, Kindness, Selflessness and Compassion. And GOD wants to be our friend in the most wonderful way! And since we have free will, it's crucial that we want it too!
GOD sees us as children who are gradually growing up to be Perfect Masters over many lifetimes. And just as we wouldn't expect little babies 
to be able to act in the same way as spiritually mature responsible adults, neither does GOD expect us to be able to act the same as highly advanced spiritual beings like Jesus, the Buddha, Quan Yin, Saint Francis and Saint Clare, etc. Instead, GOD is guiding us and encouraging us with loving inspiration that uplifts and inspires us to act in the highest, purest ways and little by little we are learning to follow those higher inner feelings, impulses and ideas.
Some people are afraid of GOD because they feel they have fallen short of GOD's expectations and thus are going to be punished by GOD. To them GOD is an angry, punishing GOD. But that is not the way GOD is. GOD is Pure Love and GOD loves us so much that GOD has set up a self-correcting mechanism for us called "Karma" so that little by little we are being guided to Mastery by the consequences of our own actions and in-actions.
So GOD is our Special Friend. GOD is our very Best Friend. GOD is our closest and most trusted Friend. And GOD loves us in a way that no other friend can. So when we think about GOD and pray to GOD we can know that we are praying to our very closest, dearest, kindest, most trusted, best friend. So we can confide our hopes and concerns with GOD and ask for guidance in even the most mundane of day to day affairs. And then we try to make choices that we feel would help us to act responsibly; progress spiritually; and please our loving Friend, GOD.
Friendship with the Great Ones
Our Friendships with the Great Ones such as Jesus, the Buddha, Blessed Mary, Quan Yin, Saint Germain, the Goddess of Loving Charity, the Goddess of Peace, and the other Ascended Beings, are very similar to 
our Friendship with our Mother-Father GOD. Since the Great Ones are Ascended they are One in Consciousness with GOD, they are absolutely perfect in every way, and of course they love us very, very much. They love us more than we can ever know, and can be trusted to love us and care about us in the same way that GOD does. So, they are our friends too and we can confide our hopes and dreams to them and ask them to help us achieve any worthy, pure, constructive goal.
Friendship between Sweethearts
Friendship between sweethearts is essential. While romantic feelings first bring couples together, it's also important that they develop a deep, caring special kind of friendship that underlies the romantic feelings. This will be crucial so that they can develop complete trust, faith and reliance on each other as the years go by.
Friendship with Parents (and grandparents)
Naturally, parenting involves shaping children's behavior so they act in responsible ways. But another important part of the parent-child relationship is simply being friends – doing fun things together; going on 
adventures together; being happy together; sharing one's hopes and dreams with each other; providing a safe, happy, trusting environment for your children; and encouraging your children to try new things that will help them to grow in responsible ways. And of course when our parents are in their senior years it's up to us to be there for them – making sure they are included in our lives - especially doing fun family things together. And eventually caring for them or arranging for them to be cared for in a loving, compassionate way.
Friendship with Siblings
Friendship with our siblings, our brothers and sisters in our earthly families, can be a wonderful thing. It's important that the older children 
sort of "adopt" the younger children and bring them under their wing so to speak. To be kind to them, look out for them, guide them, and protect them from things that could get them into trouble. Little by little, as the older ones look out for the younger ones and they enjoy doing fun, innocent things together, a deep and lasting friendship can gradually grow between them.
Intercultural Friendships
Little by little we are awakening to the realization that all of us on this earth are children of GOD. Each of us is equally precious in GOD's sight. And what a blessing it will be for this planet when everyone cares about each other and gets along just fine regardless of what country, religion, color, race, or culture we come from. So let's embrace our brothers and sisters of different races, cultures and religions in true friendship and help to build a worldwide paradise of loving kindness. And when we meet someone of another race, religion or culture that is kind and good and shares similar values of loving kindness and goodness, let us reach out to them in friendship, if we feel moved to do so in our hearts.
Our Friends in the Animal Kingdom
And of course we don't want to forget our precious friends in the animal kingdom – especially our affectionate, loyal pets. It's important to remember that they can get lonely, too. So it's crucial for us to make time for our dear furry friends who give us so much love.
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Copyright 2019 Bill Gaum. All Rights Reserved