You’ve Got a Friend in Me
Scripture: Proverbs 27:9,17; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Introduction
In honor of National Friendship month, we’ll learn how to make friends as adults and combat loneliness. Making friends in adulthood is not an easy task. Friends can enrich our lives and even improve our health. When we lean in and deepen our connections with those around us, we create opportunities to receive the beautiful blessings found in this gift from God. Friendships are stamped into our spiritual DNA and they benefit us spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally.
Decorations and Room Set Up
- Place vases or mason jars filled with yellow roses throughout the room. Put a colorful beaded friendship bracelet around each vase or mason jar.
- Display small frames with scriptures and poems about friendships.
- At each place setting, place an artificial yellow rose with a ribbon.
Six Ways to Make New Friends
- If you want to make new friends, you need to go where the people are—churches, Bible studies, an event at another church, coffee shops, the library, a gym or a job. Can you give other examples?
- Simply going to places is not enough, you also need to get involved and get to know people. What are some ways you can get to know others better?
- Once you meet people and begin to know them better, it’s time to reach out and get intentional. What are some ways to make this happen?
- Put together some fun gatherings where women can bring their friends, and all get to know each other and offer encouragement. What are some examples?
- Thanks to technology, people all over the world are more accessible than ever before. Where are some places to look?
https://equippinggodlywomen.com/community/six-ways-to-develop-close-godly-friendships/
Friendship Bracelets
Making friendship bracelets is fun and can bring you joy, especially when you give them to others. Simply seeing the reaction of someone receiving this handmade gift is enough to increase your own joy
Supplies Needed
- Beads – Colorful pony and letter beads can be found on Amazon or at any craft store. Specific letters can be purchased in bulk to spell out FRIENDS.
- Stretchy Bead Cord – .5mm stretchy string is ideal.
- Small binder clips
- Scissors
Instructions
- Plan out the colors and beads you need. Lay out the beads and decide on the pattern or order of how you will string them.
- Cut a 12″ piece of stretchy bead cord.
- Attach a small binder clip to one end of the stretchy bead cord. This keeps the beads from falling off the end of the string as you are threading them.
- String beads in the design or pattern that you like. In this project, string the letters that spell out FRIENDS or a related word/phrase.
- Double knot the cord and trim excess.
Friendship
The nostalgic trend representing friendship exploded during the Taylor Swift Eras Tour of 2023. The friendship bracelet craze was inspired by the lyrics of a song written by Swift, “So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it … you’ve got no reason to be afraid.” The fans, known as ‘Swifties’, took this literally and thousands of friendship bracelets were made and exchanged during each of her concerts around the world. Many concert goers described the exchange and introduction with fellow fans as the most incredible joy experienced. My own daughter even said, “… it was like being in a room filled with thousands of your best and closest friends!”
The first step to any friendship is the introduction, much like the ones that took place when Swifties exchanged friendship bracelets. But some people are afraid to take the first step of saying hello and introducing themselves. It’s usually this first step that keeps us from moving onto the next, which is when we get to really know the other person and develop the friendship.
I love the quote from Basil of Caesarea, which says, “The Creator arranged things so that we need each other.” It’s true! We were never meant to journey on this life alone. In fact, our holy calling is friendship. When we lean into others and connect with them, whether it’s for a lifetime or just a season, we open ourselves up to receiving one of the most incredible gifts from the Lord—friendship. It’s through this gift, that we can be spurred on and propelled toward Jesus to become the best version of ourselves.
King Solomon wrote a lot about life’s meaning. One of those topics centered on the importance of friendships. Not just superficial friendships, but the kind that are deeply connected with one another and filled with love, trust, loyalty, accountability, and support. The kind that points us to Jesus and helps us to persevere when we’re feeling stuck or lonely.
Proverbs 27:9 says, “Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.” True friends seek our best interest. Solomon goes on to say in Proverbs 27: 17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” This is what true friendship is all about. It involves helping each other to be better in all aspects of our lives – spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally.
Friendships are complex. As we get older, it becomes more challenging to maintain them because we’re busier or perhaps we’ve been hurt in the past and we’re afraid to open our hearts. But once again, we find King Solomon reminding us of the value of a friend in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
No one is exempt from some form of loneliness. No person can live an isolated life and expect to thrive. King Solomon was surrounded by crowds, wealth, possessions, and honor, yet he wrote about the importance of having and keeping faithful friends over all of that. Friendships are not easy, they take effort, sacrifice, vulnerability. At times, they’re inconvenient and cause us hurt. But sweet friendship centered in Christ, refreshes the soul and awakens our hearts with joy … it’s worth it!
Today, there are so many ways to stay in touch: emails, texts, face time, phone calls or even good ole’ fashion letters or cards sent through snail mail. A good friend is made by the quality of communication, not the amount. Don’t be afraid to take the first step of saying hello, introducing yourself or even exchanging a friendship bracelet like the thousands of Taylor Swift fans did. But don’t stop there, take the next step of enjoying this beautiful gift and nurture it. We all need good friends, and we also need to be good friends. Surround yourself with people who will help you be the best that you can be and do the same for them. There’s a friend in each one of us and we need each other, it’s how God made us!
Prayer
Lord, thank you so much for the gift of friendship. The friends that you have placed in my life are a blessing to me and I pray that I can be a blessing to them as well. Help me to nourish those friendships and put effort into them, so that they grow in you. Lord, thank you for being my best friend and for being the perfect example of true friendship.
Resources and References
Equipping Godly Women – “Need More Christian Friends? Here are 6 ways to Find Them” by Brittany Ann https://equippinggodlywomen.com/community/six-ways-to-develop-close-godly-friendships/
Friendship for Grown-Ups: What I Missed and Learned Along the Way by Lisa Whelchel
Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Chapter: Spiritual Friendships
Mayo Clinic Article – “Friendships: Enrich Your Life and Improve Your Health” https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/friendships/art-20044860
Los Angeles Christian Counseling – “Dealing with Loneliness as a Christian” https://lachristiancounseling.com/articles/dealing-with-loneliness-as-a-christian
Everyday Health – “Why Friendships Are So Important to Well-Being” by Moira Lawler https://www.everydayhealth.com/emotional-health/social-support.aspx
