Friendship in the Garden of Life

C.S. Lewis wrote: Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, “You too? I thought I was the only one.”

How many of us can say we’ve said that a time or two?

Ever heard the phrase, “If friends were flowers, I’d pick you?”

We pick a few in our childhood. We pick a few from high school years. We become adults and we pick a few more.

Sometimes we pick the same friends that our friends pick and all the sudden we’ve become a blossoming bouquet! Each one of us unique and bringing something special to the friendship arrangement. Some friendships last a lifetime (we will call those perennials, after all; the definition of perennial is: lasting or existing for a long or apparently infinite time; enduring or continually recurring.) Some friendships wither and fade away… like a Spring bouquet in a pretty vase… Only meant to enjoy for a little while. Some are like annuals and we only see them once a year.

Friendships are true blessings and I count myself honored to be amongst some of the best (women) flowers in the garden of life.

BUT…

Isn’t there just something truly amazing and special about a godly friendship? Is there anything greater than fellowship between Christian friends?

Reasons We Need Christian Friends:

1. They encourage you. Christian friends will let you wallow away in self-pity for about 2.5 seconds; then, they remind you of all the battles that the Lord has already won for you.  They turn up the worship music and wave their hands in the air and tell you, “GOD IS IN CONTROL.”  Christian friends will sit down with you and open up their Bibles and show you in the scriptures that you are going to BE JUST FINE.  They will sit there with you until you KNOW they are right. (Gotta love a friend like that!) and before you know it, there is a revival going on in your living room at 2 am!

2. They offer you godly advice. Again, opening up their Bibles and directing you to verses that show us exactly how God wants us to overcome our circumstances. “Girl, get yourself up and wipe off that frown! God has you! Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” Shew, you know you can just see yourself with that good Christian friend STOMPING out the enemy! “NOT TODAY, SATAN! BE GONE!”

3. They pray for you.  No material gift could ever compare to the gift of prayer from a friend.  Godly friends want nothing but the best for you. They bow their heads and lift you up in prayer and not only you but your family and your other friends and whatever and whoever matters to you.  James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

4. They forgive you.  Godly friends forgive one another. Unfortunately, and most times unintentionally friends will eventually hurt each other. I find most often that godly friends resolve tensions and quarrels and quickly forgive each other. We have learned to give grace to each other and to apply mercy well. “Lord… I know she just in a way right now, Heavenly Jesus… Keep me still.” Mercy. Mercy. Mercy.

No matter where you are on your journey through the garden of life; picking and choosing friends; keep a close reminder that ALL friendships need to be nurtured. We will have to prune and weed and water and pray over our friendships. All too often we let our gardens go unattended and we all know what happens to neglected flower beds! (It’s not nice to be going around spraying your friends with weed-killer. Keep those flower beds tended, y’all!) Let’s be making our friendships a priority in life. Let your friends know that you care about them.

Celebrate.  ALL. THE. THINGS. no matter how small they seem.

Weather the storms together clinging to the promises of God and most importantly…

GROW TOGETHER.

Lord, Thank you for blessing me with such beautiful godly girlfriends.  I am so honored to be growing among the most beautiful “Lilies of the Valley”.  Lord, help me to be just as good a friend to them as they are to me and, Lord… Thank you for planting seeds of new friends too. In your name I pray… In your name I live… In your name I grow…errr, Go… Amen.

Deb Ridenour

Deb Ridenour has been married to her teenage sweetheart for almost 33 years. They have three children they are so very proud of and they have five grands that they are even more proud of! Deb is a doggie mom to Gunner and it is no secret that he is her favorite child (he even has a tag to prove it!)

She is proud to be a daughter of the one true King, and she says it is NOT only because that makes her a princess! Deb feels that God has truly blessed her with a passion to create and design. She has just begun a business – Sparrow and Grace Designs. She seeks to honor and glorify His name in all she does and in all she creates because she recognizes that her talents come from the Lord.