How can you make friends?

February 26 - March 1, 2024 | Always Peachy Devotionals | Friendship Week 4

There are more people than ever before and no one to talk to.

At this point in history, the beginning of 2024, there are eight billion people on our planet. Eight billion. And that number will only increase. You’d think that with so many people inhabiting this little blue spinning mudball, we’d be tripping over each other, yet we know that people are lonelier and more isolated now than they have ever been.

How is that even possible?

There are many reasons, not the least of which is the emergence of social media that makes it easier than ever to present a false image of our lives. It’s really simple to make the whole world believe your life is perfect when it’s really falling apart.

And I guess that’s okay to present a picture-perfect image of your life, but when you show the world that you’re All Right, they tend to believe you. And it’s a lot harder to want to be friends with someone who doesn’t have any dirty laundry in the background of their selfies.

I also think, as a culture, we’re worn out and burned out and weary. We work too hard and play too little and don’t take enough time to rest, so the kneejerk reaction to a life like that is to isolate. We get selfish with our time and our emotions because we just don’t have enough of ourselves to go around.

And let’s be honest: Friendship is hard work.

At least, that’s what our enemy wants us to believe. The enemy wants us to believe that we are unique in our struggles and no one else can understand us. He wants us to feel isolated and alone because that way we’re more of a target for his spiritual attacks.

We all need friends, no matter how much of a challenge it may feel like on some days.

I consider myself to be a fairly stable person most of them time, but in those moments when my world is crashing down, I need my friends to pick me back up again. I always have Jesus, yes, but my friends have been Jesus’ hands and feet in my life more often than I am able to recount.

So … how do you do it? We’ve spent this whole month talking about friends and community and why it matters, but how do you make friends? Where do you find them? And, once you have them, how do you keep them? How do you be a friend?

That’s what we’re talking about this week.

• Feb 26 - Choose to speak love (1 John 4:11)

• Feb 27 - Choose to show love (John 12:13)

• Feb 28 - Choose to be loyal (Proverbs 27:10)

• Feb 29 - Choose to support each other emotionally (Galatians 6:2)

• Mar 1 - Choose to encourage not destroy (Proverbs 18:24)

There are many schools of thought when it comes to making and keeping friends, but I’ve found that these five guidelines will serve you well in your relationships.

The Bible has so much to say about how to be a friend to someone else, so when it came time to choose a memory verse for this week, I thought instantly of Philippians 2:3.

If you want to be a friend who encourages and supports other people, live by this verse. No, not to the extent that you wreck your emotional health. Maybe we ought to have a study about emotional health and relationships too because that seems to come up a lot when it comes to friendships and community and ministry and service. But as much as you are able within the capacity God has given you, live by these truths.

Simply being kind will make you stand out. If you choose to go the extra mile and be humble along with it, you’ll find yourself in high demand.

Friends are a blessing we all need in our lives, and while it’s not easy to be a friend, it’s absolutely worth it. And when you pursue friendship out of love, you might discover it’s not as much of a challenge as you thought it would be. The more you love someone, the more serving them becomes a natural part of your relationship.

I hope each of you are staying warm this winter. Be blessed this week!

Amy

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