You Are a Friend

A friend loves at all times. – Proverbs 17:17 

Do you remember the names of your first friends?  What they looked like, where they lived and your favorite things to do together? 

As you got older, how did your friendships change?  Which ones have endured throughout the years while other friendships have drifting into the distant? 

My husband has done an amazing job staying connected to his high school and college friends. (so much better of a job than me) I think the secret to his long lasting friendships is a deep loyalty in the heart and a sincere commitment on his calendar. 

He carves out time in his work schedule to visit friends on the east coast and plans surf trips with his local buddies because he recognizes life is too busy to just hope they’ll connect soon.  He keeps the friendships alive by planning fun events to enjoy life together.

I’m guilty of just the opposite.  I hope my friendships last when years pass without seeing each other.  I know she’s just as busy with her kids as I am with mine.  I rationalize when all the kids are grown up, we’ll take that trip to Broadway, we’ll have that beach weekend in Mexico, and we’ll finally talk on the phone often.  But will we really when after twenty years, our hearts and minds have changed so much from what they were in college?

I somehow knew this would happen.  My four roommates at the University of Vermont laughed at me when I cried on our front porch steps he day after graduation, blubbering “It’s over.  We’ll never be this close again.”  They reassured me that we’d be forever friends because we’d been inseparable for the past four years.  I knew we couldn’t maintain this closeness if we were spread all over the country with demanding jobs, husbands to share life with, and families to raise.

Now I look back and know in my heart that I still love every single friend I’ve laughed and cried with over the past forty some years.  I just haven’t done a very good job letting them know it.  Maybe you’re like me.  If so, let’s live out what the Bible says about friendships, “A friend loves at all times.”

It’s never too late to reach out, make the phone call, set a date, or plan a trip.  One way we can thank God for the people He has strategically placed in our lives, is to love them on purpose.  

Who needs to know you still care, or are thinking about them, or praying for them often?  Take a few minutes to let them know your love is still alive and well.  When you do, you are living God’s word in real life. 

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement