It is so good to have good friends!

I have been blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life that I can call friends. I don’t tell them often enough how much I appreciate their encouragement and the strength their prayers for me provides. Friends are an invaluable part of our lives and we can’t truly understand why if we isolate ourselves and don’t develop or maintain friendships.

I will readily admit that I have days when I want to be left alone. I’m tired and overwhelmed and I don’t have the energy to spend communicating with people. There are times I could probably go a week or more without social interaction and I would enjoy that time alone. I’m never really alone. God is always right here with me so I am perfectly content alone with Him. There is great value in time spent alone but that should never be a place I stay. Too much time alone separates me from the influence and support of others that God has sent into my life to be tangible evidence of His love and care for me.

In short, God loves me through my friends. He shows His love for me in other ways too but I would be missing out on a vast ocean of His love if I didn’t surround myself with the friends He sends into my life.

I have a couple of dear friends who live really far away from me. I am in Washington State and some of the most amazingly faithful, encouraging, humble, inspiring, godly prayer warriors I know live in different states - one in New Mexico, one in Missouri, two in California and one in Alabama. I also have dear friends who are missionaries in Ecuador and also some in Poland. They all have very unique situations and personalities and I am so thankful for the blessings they are in my life.

I could send any one of these friends a prayer request and I KNOW they would figuratively drop to their knees and pray immediately and faithfully.

One of these friends has a son who also lives with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). But she and I connect with each other on a heart level that few friends ever achieve. Jesus loves me through her!

Another of these friends also lives with MS herself. She and I can discuss our individual health struggles and just know that the other understands on a level that few people do and in a way that no one else I know does because none of my other friends have actually experienced life with MS.

I have local friends too who are SUCH a welcome encouragement! As much as I love my friends that live in distant places, the value of physically being in the presence of people who I love us immeasurable. To see a smile, hold a hand, receive a hug from a faithful friend are all so necessary for my spiritual and emotional health.

From the friends who reach out and offer help with things I can’t do (like altering a dress for our daughter) to friends who can’t do anything but offer prayer, fellowship and a smile (like our 98 year old friend who is housebound) I draw strength and comfort from knowing that I have a safety net of friendships that the Lord has surrounded me with.

I have friends who are just love personified. Friends who are struggling through cancer treatments, yet who find a way to smile and who are an encouragement just by sending a short text or by being at church on Sunday and available every time I sit down next to them to chat.

I have friends who are uplifting and it is such an encouragement to hear how the Lord has been working mightily in their lives - even in the wake of tragedy and through difficulties. It is refreshing to hear others talk about how they are doing week to week, how I can pray for them, how I can rejoice with them.

In addition to enjoying being around my friends, texting with them, etc. I think about them during the week. I pray for them and their families. Knowing about the details of their lives drives me closer to the Lord and keeps my focus off of myself. Having friends means feeling God’s presence continually.

I have cousins who I love because they are my cousins - but some of them are also very close friends of mine. Regardless of the subject I am always glad to hear from them. And because we have known each other all our lives, we know each other’s back story. We share a history that no one else can ever really relate to. We have a unique friendship that goes way back and deep. And some of that history is painful but I am grateful for every shared experience. In some ways, my cousins are the friends God chose for me before I was born. I mean, He certainly chose my other friends too and sent them into my life exactly when I needed them. But I had a choice about whether I would allow other friends into my life. I didn’t have a choice with my cousins - they have always been in my life whether I would have chosen them or not! But I am SO grateful God put us in the same family because we don’t live near each other either and never really have. If we weren’t related we likely would never have even met and I would have missed out on some amazing friendships!

I have friends from all different cultures and I benefit so much from hearing their perspectives on American culture. It is so amazing to see how God brings together people from all walks of life and creates a rich environment of people who have almost nothing in common except for their love for Christ! It’s amazing and wonderful and I am just appreciating my friends more and more with each passing moment. I can’t reference every friend here because I am rich in the friend department but each friend is uniquely special to me and I do not take them for granted.

If you are one of my friends who is reading this, THANK YOU! Thank you for being my friend, for praying for me, encouraging me, allowing me to pray for and encourage you. Thank you for being you and for allowing God to use you to love me in ways you are not even aware you are being used.

It is good to have friends!