Introduction

Friendship is one of the priceless things in life. God did not expect us to go through life alone. He created us for community. Sharing our lives with other believers is worth more than all the gold, diamonds, and money in the world.

Program Ideas

The Price is Right

This website: https://www.thedatingdivas.com/the-price-is-right/  has the supplies you need to play the classic game show, The Price is Right. It gives ways to play if you would like to meet at a local store like Walmart or play at the corps using the store’s website. It has invitations to give the women the week before. The winner could be given a gift card.

Most Expensive Paintings in the World

Have the women try to put the top ten most expensive art pieces in order. The website Portrait Flip https://www.portraitflip.com/blog/most-expensive-paintings/  has images of each of the paintings, how and when they were sold, and what the cost would be today with inflation. Print out the pictures or display them in a PowerPoint. Invite the woman to rate them from the least to most expensive.

Re-create Artwork

Challenge the women to re-create famous artwork. The Getty Museum has some great examples, instructions, and tips. To support the idea of friendship, pick famous paintings that have two or more people in them so the women work and laugh together. https://www.getty.edu/news/getty-artworks-recreated-with-household-items-by-creative-geniuses-the-world-over/

Share a Priceless Memory

Ask the women to bring a keepsake or photo and share the story of why it is such a prized possession.

Priceless Friendships

When I start a new book, I always read the dedication and acknowledgements. I find out about the people who helped an author’s dream come true. The last book I read was dedicated to the author’s friend who had unexpectedly died. The dedication was so moving about what an amazing friend this person had been. Even though I did not know either of these women personally, I wept for what had been lost. The author’s friend had made her life easier, more joyful, and overall better. I immediately wanted to call my best friend and tell her all the things I love about her. I wanted to make sure she knew how important she was to me. And then I started thinking about what she would say about me.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “The only way to have a friend is to be one.” He is echoing the KJV of Proverbs 18:24 “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” The gift of true friendship is a two–way street. What makes that gift priceless is it is based on love. I think today we have lost our of understanding of what it means to have a friend and be a friend. We have friends on social media that we will never connect with in real life. We have frenemies who we do not like hanging out with, but we do because they are part of the group. We have work friends who know nothing of our personal lives nor we of theirs. None of these friend groups are going to mention us in a book dedication. This type of friendship is not based on love but on situation.

Priceless friendships are based on love. We see in Scripture over and over that love is an action, not a feeling. When we talk about feeling loved it is because of the actions someone has taken. Paul brings home this point repeatedly in his letters, the most famous being the love chapter. In 1 Corinthians 13 he breaks down love by showing the actions love does not take: does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, is not dishonoring to others, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil. He also gives the actions love does take: is patient, is kind, rejoices in truth, it protects, it trusts, it hopes, it perseveres, and it never fails.

Paul addresses the actions of love again in Romans 12:9-12. The entirety of chapter 12 is about living in a community. Did you know that spiritual friendships are considered a spiritual discipline? Being an active friend and allowing others to actively participate in your life is one of the ways God reveals Himself to us and to others. These spiritual friendships draw us closer to God and help to transform us increasingly into His image. What could be more valuable than that? This passage tells us to “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” We need spiritual friends because sometimes it is hard to cling to what is good, be zealous, joyful, patient, and faithful. And our friends need us for the same reasons. God created us to need Him, and other people. We were not meant to do this thing called life alone.

Who are the people in your life you would call a friend? A best friend? A spiritual friend? Who would call you the same? Who are you being vulnerable with and allowing them in to see the places where God is still working so they can stand alongside you? Are you living in community as God desires? Take some time today to take stock of your relationships, are they mutual, life-giving, an encouragement? Be intentional with your close friends, letting them in and asking them to be active in your life.

Resources

https://curateministries.org/curateblog/2020/8/18/spiritual-friendship

https://www.navigators.org/resource/spiritual-friendship/