NATIONAL BEST FRIEND DAY!

Did you know June 8th was National Best Friend Day? There are so many designated days on the calendar each month, it’s hard to keep track! But National Friend Day is special because it’s a day to honor our best friends. I’m not sure who created Best Friend Day, but I’m glad they did, because I believe it’s important to recognize and thank our trusted friends.

I’m grateful for the women friends that I refer to as my sisters-in-Christ. There’s nothing more inspiring than gathering with my friends. Their support, encouragement, and accountability mean the world to me, and I am forever grateful for this Godly connection. My besties believe in me. They accept me for who I am, regardless of my situation, and there is nothing more satisfying than a circle of friends who love and accept you for who you are, rather than what you can do or give.

Circle of Friends

My best friends share several commonalities and differences, but one thing we all have in common is our hearts for God. Remember the song, Circle of Friends by Point of Grace,

To the shelter of this circle of friends

If you weep, I will weep with you

If you sing for joy the rest of us will lift our voices too

But no matter what you feel inside there’s no need to pretend

That’s the way it is in this circle of friends

In a circle of friends

We have one father

In a circle of friends, we share this prayer

That we’ll gather together no matter how the highway bends

I will not lose this circle of friends

These lyrics illustrate the importance of our deep friendships and the benefits of those lasting friendships. When you weep, I will weep with you. When you are joyously celebrating, I will celebrate with you!

Authentic Connections

It’s not easy to build those lasting friendships today, with the multitude of online platforms that keep us connected yet disconnected. How many of us spend time on social media for connection, only to walk away feeling disconnected or left out? Lysa Terkeurst shared in her book Uninvited, “Nearly half of women report feeling lonely at least occasionally after spending time on social media.” I’ll share that I’m one of those women, and social media can be so superficial.

And, for the record, I’m not one of those friends who sit glued to their phones during a family get-together or dinner with friends, and thank goodness my circle of friends isn’t attached to their phones! We connect, we share, we chat, we pray, and we support one another. My friends know this to be true because, if you know me, the majority of the time, my phone is on silent. I prefer as few distractions as possible, and a phone chirping and chiming every few seconds can be a huge distraction – I’m the farthest thing from FOMO!

Celebrate Our Friends!

As we end this week and prepare for the week ahead, reach out to your friends and thank them for their support, encouragement, and love. Ask them if there is anything you can do for them. Ask them how you can pray for them. Celebrate your friends. Although National Best Friend Day is a beautiful day to celebrate our friends, let’s not wait for a designated day to honor them. Let’s make a habit of offering daily thanksgiving for our sisters-in-Christ. They truly are a blessing from God.

“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 ESV

Let’s celebrate our sisters-in-Christ today