Thanks for Being My Friend

the value of a true friend

“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falls; for he hath not another to help him up.”  Bible: Ecclesiastes

What makes a friend?

“The only way to have a friend is to be one.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you desire a friend, be one. It’s amazing what a smile will do. Do you realize we have contact with people who have no friends, no true friends who love them as they are? To be a good friend, be friendly.

Who is your best friend?

“A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.”  Elbert Hubbard

My husband was my best friend — a tried and true friend. Loving and trying to understand me when others would toss me out! We did not think alike on many issues, but respected each other’s differences. We challenged each other to be better, to do better, and to grow.

And this has value now: we encouraged each other to build relationships outside our home. I am so thankful for friends who pray for me as I learn to navigate life alone.

Do you have friends from childhood?

If so, treasure that friendship. The first year after graduation, I was in eighteen states. My father called me a gypsy. I lost contact with the most precious people in my life-girls and boys I had known from 1st grade to graduation. I recently found a few of them. We may be a few years older, but the memories we share are priceless!

Do you make friends at work or in town?

Some strong relationships are built as you work side-by-side with others. You laugh and cry and share personal stories, and you learn to trust one another. I challenge you to find someone at work or in the shops you frequent who is less likely to have a string of friends. Smile at them, remember names, and compliment a job well done.  I am amazed how this has opened doors in my community to be an encouragement to someone.

Find a friend in your neighborhood –

Yes, neighborhoods are different from what they used to be; work and more activities pull them away from home. A single fellow lives up the road from me. He is not overly friendly as he drives by. However, for years I have prayed for him and waved and smiled every time I see him pull in or out of his driveway. Who do you think he will contact if he ever needs a friend?

“And if you are nice only to your friends, then you are no better than other people. Even people without God are nice to their friends.”  Matthew 5:45 ERV

You are my friend.

I seriously value your friendship and your trust. I hope that as you read Encouragement from the Heart, you will pray for me. I like to hear from you, how you are doing, and what topics are helpful to you. Thank you for being my friend!

For more fascinating quotes and poems, click here.

The Bible has some interesting advice on being a friend. Spend some time pondering these verses.

Live together in peace with each other. Don’t be proud, but be willing to be friends with people who are not important to others. Don’t think of yourself as smarter than everyone else.  Romans 12:16
People want a friend they can trust. It is better to be poor than to be a liar. Proverbs 19:22
You cannot trust someone who would talk about things told in private. So don’t be friends with someone who talks too much. Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go,  Proverbs 20:19
Hugs,
Susie
And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than anyone else. Even the people who don’t know God are nice to their friends. Matthew 5:47
Live together in peace with each other. Don’t be proud, but be willing to be friends with people who are not important to others. Don’t think of yourself as smarter than everyone else. Romans 12:16

A man’s growth is seen in the successive choirs of his friends.  Ralph Waldo Emerson

The only way to have a friend is to be one.  Ralph Waldo Emerson

A friend is one who walks in when others walk out. Walter Winchell

“Two may talk together under the same roof for many years, yet never really meet, and two others at first speech are old friends.”  Mary Catherwood

A friend is someone who is there for you when he’d rather be anywhere else. Len Wein

Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead.
Walk beside me and be my friend. Albert Camus

None Would Toss Jesus in the Trash

None would toss Jesus in the trash

Jesus flyers left on both tables at our post office

“And he said with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.‘” Revelation 14:7

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17

Walking into our local post office early one morning, I was caught off guard by the tables before me. Rarely is there even one lone magazine or paper lying on these tables. After carefully sorting their mail, most people toss the unwanted mail and flyers into designated blue trash bins.

But not today! Not everyone wanted the bulk-mail flyer from a local church, yet very few of them seemed to make it to the trash bin. I stood with tears flowing down my cheeks (seriously)! It made my day! I showed my photo to the postal clerk, and we both rejoiced.

“Jesus, make Yourself known while your name rests on this table.”  My heart leaped with joy as I thought of all the hungry hearts coming in and out that day. Each one had to pass that table. Each one would “see” Jesus.

And then I paused and considered my life. I wonder, when people pass by me, do they see Jesus? Really? Do I always make an effort to smile or nod? Shake a hand? Open a door? I wonder.

As I left that day, I asked God to help me be a bolder witness for Him. I asked forgiveness for taking Him for granted so often in my daily life.

Today, I pray for you.  “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Thank you for leaving a note, and THANK YOU for praying for me.

Hugs, Susie

Help! I Need a Friend!

Help! I Need a Friend!

Won’t You be My Friend?

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” I John 4:7

Yesterday, I met with an author friend for a brief chat over coffee at 9:30 AM. (We had talked about meeting for months.) I knew she needed encouragement. What I failed to realize is how great my personal need was as well.

We chatted and prayed and cried and laughed. We prayed and cried and … you get the picture! Like the tiny kitty, we were helpless on our own; we needed a shoulder to cry on.

Two little girls across the room kept watching us and smiling back. With their Mom’s permission, I gave each of them a Little Bible to put in their pockets. And my friend and I continued to pray and cry and …

Soon, the mother came to our table to introduce herself and tell us she had just started selling Tupperware. As we exchanged information, she signed up for my newsletter and thanked me again for the girls’ Bibles. And I’m thinking, “I don’t need any Tupperware, however…”

As my friend and I prepared to leave, we made a date for next week—same time, same place. We vowed to pray for one another as we work toward our goals. For the record, our “brief chat” ended at 1:30 PM! (I accomplished more at home the next three hours than I would have done all day without the four-hour meeting!)

Do you have a friend like that? Someone you can confide in? A safe place to share your deepest fears and shortcomings? Someone who will lift you up in prayer? I challenge you to take time (MAKE time) for meaningful relationships.

The ultimate BFF is Jesus. He never leaves us. Do you know Him, really know Him?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Hugs,

Susie