What is a friend?
According to Wikipedia, it is as follows:
Friendship is a relationship between two people who hold mutual affection for each other.[1] Friendships and acquaintanceship are thought of as spanning across the same continuum. The study of friendship is included in the fields of sociology, social psychology, anthropology, philosophy, and zoology. Various academic theories of friendship have been proposed, including social exchange theory, equity theory, relational dialectics, andattachment styles.
The value of friendship is often the result of friends consistently demonstrating the following:
- The tendency to desire what is best for the other
- Sympathy and empathy
- Honesty, even in situations where it may be difficult for others to speak the truth
- Mutual understanding and compassion; ability to go to each other for emotional support
- Enjoyment of each other's company
- Trust in one another
- Positively strong, deep, close reciprocity, mutuality — equal give-and-take between the two parties
- The ability to be oneself, express one's feelings and make mistakes without fear of judgement
In my 45 years, I've experienced many friendships. What I've come to realize, at least in my life, is that my friendships have ebbed and flowed with the phases of my life.
* I have those friends I went to school/high school with some of who I keep in touch with to this day (thanks in great part to Facebook for letting us be able to reconnect).
* Then there are my college roommates and friends. Oh, the memories I take from those years!
* I have friends from when I relocated to NJ. In the 17 years I've been here, those friendships have changed with the passing of time. There are those who were part of my early married years and the beginning of starting a family. Sadly many have relocated to other areas but contact is still there.
I cherish each and every one of these friendships and I am thankful for the time I had with each of these people. They have all contributed to my life and shaped me into the woman I am today.
Currently, I'm in a new phase of life and with it I have found myself surrounded with a core group of friends. What I value about my friendships are the honestly within them. When you are young friendship is more about being accepted and wanting to fit in but later in life friendship is about growing, nurturing and being sharpened by your friends, especially in the area of your walk with God.
In my friendships, I have always been very sensitive to any type of criticism mainly because I want to be liked. I have a wonderful friend who speaks with me honestly, she will call me out on things she sees that she feels God wants brought to my attention. I can remember the first time she did this, it panicked me. She did it in love and with full explanation but immediately I went back to that "people pleasing" mindset and in that moment I thought I would lose her friendship but that was in no way the case. In fact, now I look to her as my "fine tuning" friend. She supports and challenges me in my walk with God, my commitment to my family, my love of crafting and the care of myself. I'm so blessed to have her in my life and I thank God for bringing her into my life.
I'm so grateful for these core friends who are currently along side me in the trenches of my life. Recently they came alongside me in the biggest way. My very good friend's young son went home to be with Jesus. God used this tragic event to teach me what being a true friend and sister in Christ is and He showed me the friends and sisters I had behind me. I felt their love, their compassion and their prayers for me and in turn with the support they gave me I was able to be there for my friend. I do not say this in any way to boast but to show you the power of friendship and the tie of sisterhood in Christ.
I am blessed to have friends who believe in the same God I do. It is this bond that continually strengthens us in our personal relationships with God and with each other.
I've learned that friendship is so rewarding but the reward isn't what you get out of it but what you put into it. I love surprising my friends with a card, a note or a visit. In serving them, I get the honor of receiving their love and support.
Friends come in all phases of life via many avenues, faces may change as time passes but each person will touch your life in a special way. True friendships don't keep score.....they are filled with giving and never looking for something in return.
May your friendships grow, nurture and encourage you.
* I have those friends I went to school/high school with some of who I keep in touch with to this day (thanks in great part to Facebook for letting us be able to reconnect).
* Then there are my college roommates and friends. Oh, the memories I take from those years!
* I have friends from when I relocated to NJ. In the 17 years I've been here, those friendships have changed with the passing of time. There are those who were part of my early married years and the beginning of starting a family. Sadly many have relocated to other areas but contact is still there.
I cherish each and every one of these friendships and I am thankful for the time I had with each of these people. They have all contributed to my life and shaped me into the woman I am today.
Currently, I'm in a new phase of life and with it I have found myself surrounded with a core group of friends. What I value about my friendships are the honestly within them. When you are young friendship is more about being accepted and wanting to fit in but later in life friendship is about growing, nurturing and being sharpened by your friends, especially in the area of your walk with God.
In my friendships, I have always been very sensitive to any type of criticism mainly because I want to be liked. I have a wonderful friend who speaks with me honestly, she will call me out on things she sees that she feels God wants brought to my attention. I can remember the first time she did this, it panicked me. She did it in love and with full explanation but immediately I went back to that "people pleasing" mindset and in that moment I thought I would lose her friendship but that was in no way the case. In fact, now I look to her as my "fine tuning" friend. She supports and challenges me in my walk with God, my commitment to my family, my love of crafting and the care of myself. I'm so blessed to have her in my life and I thank God for bringing her into my life.
I'm so grateful for these core friends who are currently along side me in the trenches of my life. Recently they came alongside me in the biggest way. My very good friend's young son went home to be with Jesus. God used this tragic event to teach me what being a true friend and sister in Christ is and He showed me the friends and sisters I had behind me. I felt their love, their compassion and their prayers for me and in turn with the support they gave me I was able to be there for my friend. I do not say this in any way to boast but to show you the power of friendship and the tie of sisterhood in Christ.
I am blessed to have friends who believe in the same God I do. It is this bond that continually strengthens us in our personal relationships with God and with each other.
I've learned that friendship is so rewarding but the reward isn't what you get out of it but what you put into it. I love surprising my friends with a card, a note or a visit. In serving them, I get the honor of receiving their love and support.
Friends come in all phases of life via many avenues, faces may change as time passes but each person will touch your life in a special way. True friendships don't keep score.....they are filled with giving and never looking for something in return.
May your friendships grow, nurture and encourage you.
