A Group of Friends
A group of friends can make you smile. Carol Harrison reflects on friendship, and the individual personalities and character traits of her group of friends.
A Group of Friends
Have you ever taken a moment to look around at your group of friends and appreciate the uniqueness of each person within the group? What gifts do you see demonstrated by members of your close circle of friends? What makes you smile as you think about them?
Sometimes in the busy activities of our lives we can become complacent, taking things and people for granted assuming those particular pieces of our life puzzle will always just be there. But life changes and I firmly believe we need to take a moment and appreciate what we have and who is in our lives.
Not Everyone Has a Large Group of Friends
I realize that not everyone has a large group of friends. Many people are very lonely – longing for a friend but not finding what satisfies that need for various reasons. It might be past hurts that keep someone from trusting. Once trust has been broken it is hard to open yourself up and let people back in, at least for a close friendship. It is easier to keep them at arm’s length or as acquaintances. We may have had to move and starting new friendships, breaking into established circles of friends is not always an easy task. The puzzle piece of close ties with someone else remains lost to us.
But today, if you have or have had a close friend or are part of a group of friends, take a few minutes to think about each person in the group and what you appreciate about them. I want to share about a group of ladies I am blessed to call my friends.
A Group of Ladies
Each one of the ladies in this circle of friends has a different gifting and personality which gives us each our uniqueness. We are all designed by God as a one of a kind human beings just like each one of you listening has been designed by God to be uniquely you.
We have some things in common, one of which is our desire to grow to be more like Jesus, to be women of God. We meet once a week for Bible study except in the summer months. We pray for each other and encourage each other. We connect socially and help each other celebrate birthdays. But we do not stop with our connections between each other. We desire that other ladies know they are not alone. We want to build bridges of connection between other ladies in church and in our circle of influence, wherever that might be.
An Evening to Feel Special
We have combined our abilities and interests and hosted several salad suppers for ladies from our church and then encouraged them to invite friends and family to attend as well. Our desire is make this an evening where each lady present feels special, connected to others and to have an opportunity to connect with God. I asked my group of friends if I could show my appreciation by sharing what they mean to me and what gifts I see demonstrated in their lives. They agreed, some more reluctantly than others.
My Group of Friends
Darlene has a talent for decorating and seeing how to make things beautiful on a shoestring budget. She spearheads our group in making the venue for the salad suppers absolutely stunning and different each time. She has a heart for others and shows her care in tangible ways.
Wendy is energetic and exuberant. Her caring heart compels her to reach out to others, inviting them to meet Jesus right where they are. She loves to think of ways to get us all together for a visit over coffee and sometimes invites the men to join us for a couple’s evening. Her energy and caring is contagious.
Rose loves to be more in the background with her gift of helps. She quietly does whatever jobs need to be done and loves to help pull the kitchen duties together for our salad suppers.
Ethel is an encourager. So many people have been helped in some way by this lovely lady – a widow who challenges me by her positive outlook on life. She often gives a ride, a hug, and a listening ear to family and friends and then takes the people in her life to God in prayer.
Mary is also an encourager with a gift for singing. She is also a widow and once again I am challenged by her to be the person God wants me to be at every stage of my life.
Trina is the youngest member of this circle of friends. She brings a youthful energy and has a heart that cares. She is willing to help out where needed, is musical and deeply devoted to her family, her friends and especially to God.
Joanne is the member of our group who has moved away but stays close in our hearts and with technology we can include her in conversations, visit when she comes to town and sometimes we take a girls’ road trip to visit her and celebrate her birthday. Joanne has the gift of hospitality and prays diligently for any request given to her.
I am the one in our group who loves to tell stories, who writes, speaks and teaches.
Daughters of the King of Kings
We are all daughters of the King of Kings. We are different ages and at different stages in our lives. Some are widowed, some still have their spouses, some are grandmothers and one is a young mom. We have different abilities, interests, come from different backgrounds, cultures and have known each other for varying amounts of time.
Yet our love for God and our desire to grow in our faith draws us together. Family is also important to each one of us and we desire that each of our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will come to know Jesus in a personal way.
Our busy lives make getting together as often as we want to very difficult at times. But I know I could call on any of these ladies to pray, to help and to encourage no matter what the event or even time of day.
Who Makes Up Your Group of Friends?
Who makes up your close group of friends? What draws you together? What ways do you reach out to others?
Maybe you are looking for friends, someone to welcome you in and make you feel accepted for who you are and help you know you are loved by God and a fellow human being.
I want to challenge all of us to appreciate the friends we have but also be aware that someone may be waiting for us to reach out and welcome them in. Maybe we can be their missing puzzle piece called a friend. Let’s listen to the nudges God is giving us to connect first with him and then with others we are doing life with. We might be pleasantly surprised by the result.
Do you have a group of friends that encourage you? Comment below or Contact us!
Carol Harrison
Listen to Carol’s program Puzzle Pieces Of Life or visit Carol’s website carolscorner.ca
Carol Harrison B.Ed is a speaker and published author with one book, Amee’s Story and stories in twelve anthologies. She is passionate about helping people of all ages and ability levels find their voice and reach their fullest potential.
She knows, through personal experience that some of life’s experiences are tougher than others. She encourages people that even in the twists and turns of life God’s amazing grace provides hope.
She lives in Saskatoon, SK with her husband Brian. They have four adult children and a dozen grandchildren.
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Three Friends – Natalia_Kollegova
Volunteer Friends – rawpixel
Salad – RitaE
Ndinchi Gideon says
The Lord be with us throughout our friendship
Ray Marshall says
Thanks!