The beautiful blessing of Christ-honoring friends. Why friendships are so important. The Simple Truth.

“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 NKJV

I have to tell you about a dear friend of mine. I am positive that since this post, in part, will be dedicated to her….I may come up missing because she definitely does not like fanfare at all. However, this friendship deserves to be recognized in so many ways.

Many years ago, the Lord blessed me to meet a beautiful Christian woman by the name of Kimberly. We met at a church in Nashville shortly after I moved to the city. We share so many things in common. She has taught me what a true friend is. We share the same birthday month. Actually, the Lord designed our birthdays just nine days apart. How beautiful! She has a sincere love for animals and people; but more importantly she has a love for God.

I remember the time back when I lived in south Nashville, the apartment building next to me was on fire. I lived on the second floor in this apartment complex. When I tell you that the apartment fire was contained, please believe me. There was no threat to my actual apartment at all. Nonetheless, Kimberly drove down the street….through all the fire trucks….backed her truck up to my balcony and told me to “jump in”. I laugh to this day. Now that is a TRUE friend. Then I am reminded of the time I threated her at the carnival in Antioch. The carnival came to the area several times a year. So on this particular occasion, the only money either of us had was my laundry money. Well we decided that we would ride some of the carnival rides. I was against this from the start. But my dear friend encouraged me to ride; so I did. And when the carnival ride started, I remember telling her in no uncertain terms….”I am going to kill you.”….all while laughing, playing, and having fun. Thankfully we both lived through the carnival ride and we still laugh about it today.

God has blessed Kimberly and me to have lived in two of the same states. We both moved to Texas in December 2004. To this day, we are each other’s bff’s (best friends forever). To be honest, she is my sister from another mother. This is how we refer to each other. We make a beautiful blend of a Christ-honoring friendship.

I shared all of this to say that when God places friends in our lives, we should hold on to them like Kimberly and I held on to that carnival ride. We would not let go. We were spinning around in the air for what seemed to be an eternity but it was only a few minutes. So let me say how important it is for us to strive for God-honoring friends. Kimberly and I have been through many trials but we have remained friends. We are sisters!

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NKJV

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 ESV

I cannot express to you just how important friends are. They comfort us when we hurt. They console us when we grieve. They bless our souls. They pray for us and with us. They are there in times of trouble. They forgive us when we are wrong. They carry our burdens. A true friend will be there regardless of the circumstance or situation. Friends are ordained by God. Let us cherish every moment we have with our friends.

So today I want to encourage every woman reading this blog post to go out and meet and make a new friend.

Here is the Simple Truth: We have been richly blessed by God. He sent His Son here to save us from eternal damnation. We have so much to be thankful for. So on today, I praise You Father God for my dear friend Kimberly. I thank You God for all of my friends. They mean the world to me. So let us strive to be a true friend to others. Be there for others and share Christ with others. Let us ever desire to esteem our friends higher than ourselves. Make a new friend. Share Christ. But most importantly be that friend that you would want also.

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, You have blessed Kimberly and me with so many beautiful years. Thank You for Your love, grace, and mercy. Thank You for many more years of a beautiful friendship and sisterhood with Kimberly. May You touch each friend that is in our lives at this very moment. Let every person who considers me as their friend know that I love them and am earnestly praying for them. Father God enrich our lives with more of You, so we can share Christ everywhere we go and with our friends. Thank you for each person you add to my life. May they know the love of my Father in Heaven. Bless us this day to be more Christ-like in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

By the way: June 20 was Kimberly’s birthday. Happy birthday Kimberly. Happy birthday month. I love you my sister.