I dialed her number as soon as I scanned her email. “Great balls of fire!” I greeted her (well, something like that). The relief in her voice was apparent, “I didn’t know if I should forward the email to you, but then I thought, ‘Yes, she’s my friend.’”
Her situation couldn’t have been more hopeless.
She’d tried it all—filled out endless forms; visited regular doctors, alternative doctors, traveling doctors, wanabe doctors, retired doctors. She’d read, researched, cried, and…
Congrats College Grad. You’ve worked so hard, and now commencement is over. I was cheering big as you walked across the stage, and I’m praying for you as you make this transition out of college. I remember well the conflicting emotions: mourning all the goodbyes, anticipating all the adventures just ahead. Speaking of adventures just ahead, …
A few months ago, I wrote a series on encouragement. I still think encouraging others is super important. But I want to give you a broader picture, because God doesn’t only call us to encourage others, but to correct them in love.
I appreciated Elizabeth’s insight on last week’s post, Three Epic Reasons to Encourage Others. I asked, “Who do you know who could use a good dose of encouragement right about now?” And she responded, “There isn’t anyone who doesn’t need to be encouraged.” True. And here’s the thing: it doesn’t take much to become a …
Where can you find good, wise friends when the pickins’ are slim?
After reading “Cool Friends . . . or Fool Friends?” last week, maybe you wondered, But if I’m choosy and don’t become besties with the “cool fool friends,” where will I find any good friends?
I’m so glad you asked! Here are four unlikely places to find a great friend:
That brother or sister of yours is handcrafted by God and, believe it or not, will one day probably be one of your best friends.
1) At home. I can hear you groaning, “But I hate my brother! He’s so annoying!” Trust me, I get it. Check out “My Annoying Younger Sister . . . and the Evil Ogre Sister!” post for more on the hateful ways I treated my sister when we were growing up.
Here’s the thing, though. That brother or sister of yours is handcrafted by God and, believe it or not, will one day probably be one of your best friends!
In fact, did you know that the Bible says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Prov. 17:17)? Part of the reason God gave you siblings is so that you would have someone to walk through the peaks and valleys of life with!
High school and college friends will move far away, but you’ll keep seeing your family on birthdays and holidays. Why not begin to not just survive in the same house without killing them, but actually . . . befriend them? (By the way, this applies to your parents as well as your siblings!)
2) At church. So they’re different from you, those people you sit next to Sunday after Sunday. Fact is, you’ll be spending a lot more than holidays and birthdays with them—you’ll be living with them . . . forever! In Christ they’re family now—a tighter bond even than your own flesh-and-blood relatives.
Forever is a long time. Why not learn how to get along with them now? I wish I’d understood years ago that friends don’t have to be your age. Read “An Unlikely Friendship” to hear about a dear friend of mine who is thirty (yes, thirty!) years older than me.
PS: Did you know you should seek out friends who are older than you to learn from (Titus 2:3–5)? Also, don’t forget that you’re an “older woman” to someone. Do you have any younger friends who can learn from your example?
3) In the Book. Proverbs 7:4 tells us to “Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister,’ and call insight your intimate friend.” The Word of Truth (another name for the Bible) is chock full of wisdom. Consider it your dear friend, and it will lead you well. Are you spending time with and listening to this friend?
4) In God. Did you know that God has friends?! He called Abraham His friend (2 Chron. 20:7; Isa. 41:8), and He talked with Moses face to face, the way good friends talk (Ex. 33:11). Abraham and Moses weren’t His only friends. You can be His friend, too!
Believe in the One who sacrificed more at the cross for you than any friend ever will, and you will find Him to be the best friend you’ll ever know.
Psalm 25:14 says, “The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.” Jesus says, “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:14). And what does He command?
The secret is found in James 2:23: “‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’—and he was called a friend of God.” Believe in the One who sacrificed more at the cross for you than any friend ever will, and you will find Him to be the best friend you’ll ever know. He will never leave you, never let you down, never stop loving you.
I’d love to hear from you. Which of these four friends are friends of yours?
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Where can you find great friends? Here are four unlikely places to look.