December 2025

Demonstrating God's Love Through Friendships

Ivey Davis, Middle School Principal 

This quarter, our chapels have been focusing on God’s attribute of being loving. Young people face many challenges in today’s world and one of the prevalent issues that we have seen in our students is navigating peer relationships. Learning how to show God’s love through friendships has been an ongoing theme of discussion in our chapel sessions. Research shows that “friendships can have a major impact on your health and well-being” (Brennan). Showing God’s love in relationships with peers can make a powerful difference not only in our students’ lives, but also in the lives of those around them. 

Demonstrating God’s love to others can show up in simple, everyday ways. God’s love can look like kindness being shown to others. This can be as easy as including someone in group work, inviting someone to sit at the lunch table, or helping someone when they drop their belongings. A smile, question about the weekend, or helping a classmate with homework can brighten someone’s day. Practicing kindness reminds others that they are not alone and they are valued.

Forgiveness is another impactful way to show God’s love to others. Inevitably, friends hurt each other, whether on purpose or by accident. Being able to let go of the anger that comes from being hurt by a friend is a true example of God’s love. “Friends who value their bond will let go of any negative feelings and forgive each other when necessary” (“Why Forgiveness Is Essential”). Through God’s forgiveness, we have been saved from our sins and forgiving others is a small way that we can replicate this attribute of love that God so graciously shows us.

For school-aged children, it can be tempting to go along with the crowd, even when others are being teased. A powerful way that students can show God’s love to their peers is by standing up for what is right. It might not be the popular choice, but it can impact someone else’s life greatly. Standing up for what is right requires courage and that courage can spill over to inspire others to stand up for what is right as well.



Friendships may not always be easy, but they offer countless opportunities to share God’s love. Demonstrating kindness, forgiveness, and courage can offer practical ways that students can reflect God’s love in their daily interactions.

Sources:

Brennan, Dan. “Psychological Benefits of Friendship.” WebMD, 25 Oct. 2021, www.webmd.com/mental-health/psychological-benefits-of-friendship.



“Why Forgiveness Is Essential for Building Resilient Friendships - Friendshipsy.” Friendshipsy, 29 Jan. 2023, friendshipsy.com/why-forgiveness-is-essential-for-building-resilient-friendships/. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.