When asked recently what I like to do in my spare time, my answer was, "When I have spare time, I love to spend it with friends...that's it. We could have coffee, lunch, dinner, or dessert; go walking or shopping...it doesn't matter. I just like to be with my friends."
I am blessed with many friends. In fact, Facebook tells me I have over 700 of them. Wow. But I can tell you this...reading a status update and writing Happy Birthday once a year on someone's wall does not make me a friend to someone else. To have friends, I must be intentional about nurturing those friendships. Solid relationships with friends will not happen by accident. There are times I fail at this miserably. But it is definitely my goal and desire to be a good friend to others.
So, after two weekends with friends, what have I learned? There is POWER in friendships. Friendships grow us, strenghthen us, encourage us, and empower us. We are able to continue when we didn't think we could. We are able to fight when we thought we were ready to quit.
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4: 12
Ecclesiastes 4: 12
We need friends! Friends are like a good LATTE...
L Laughter happens when we are with friends. Whether we laugh until we cry, or we cry until we laugh, laughter usually occurs and it is so good for us!
A Accountability is necessary. We need to have someone in our lives who will remind us of the goals we have set, the promises we have made, the people we were called to be.
T Truth must be spoken in love. Good friends don't just tell us what we want to hear, but what we don't want to hear as well. And then they are there to encourage us to work through our stuff.
T Trust must be present to be good friends. Without trust, we are just acquaintances because we will never share our deepest thoughts and concerns with each other.
E Encouragement abounds in friendships. We promote each other, listen to each other, and give each other courage. We pick each other up when we fall or fail, and we walk alongside each other to provide more stability.
What's better than a good latte? A good friend enjoying a latte with you!
Do you see the power in friendships? Can you add to this list of attributes? I would love to have your comments. And I thank you for being a friend and reading this blog!
Unwrapping the gift of friendship,
Kelli
L Laughter happens when we are with friends. Whether we laugh until we cry, or we cry until we laugh, laughter usually occurs and it is so good for us!
A Accountability is necessary. We need to have someone in our lives who will remind us of the goals we have set, the promises we have made, the people we were called to be.
T Truth must be spoken in love. Good friends don't just tell us what we want to hear, but what we don't want to hear as well. And then they are there to encourage us to work through our stuff.
T Trust must be present to be good friends. Without trust, we are just acquaintances because we will never share our deepest thoughts and concerns with each other.
E Encouragement abounds in friendships. We promote each other, listen to each other, and give each other courage. We pick each other up when we fall or fail, and we walk alongside each other to provide more stability.
What's better than a good latte? A good friend enjoying a latte with you!
Do you see the power in friendships? Can you add to this list of attributes? I would love to have your comments. And I thank you for being a friend and reading this blog!
Unwrapping the gift of friendship,
Kelli
These ladies are gifts to me!
3 comments:
So thankful for sweet friends and weekends away to get refreshed!!
Kelli, thanks for being my first LATTE friend here in Georgia!!! God has blessed me beyond measure. Sigh-- He is so awesome (as are you!) Great post.
Right back atcha, Sharita.
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