Intentional Friendships

"Friends! How many of us have them? Friends! Ones we can depend on. Friends! Before we go any further let's be friends!"

I know I write a lot on friendships but they are important so I shall continue to write! Feel free to post any questions, comments or social criticisms below.

"What about your friends, will they stand their ground? Will they let you down again? What about your friends, are they gonna be lowdown? Will they ever be around? Or will they turn their backs on you?"

The first quote is "Friends" by Whodini and the second is TLC's "What About Your Friends?". Most people have heard at least these parts of the songs and that is all that is really needed to understand this post. Actually, it really isn't, I just love both of those songs and they have been stuck in my head so, why not?

I was talking to a lady recently whose son had been in a horrible accident and she was telling me that at first, all of his friends were there helping and supporting him but in a matter of a couple weeks, no one was there. No calls or visits anymore, nothing. Isn't that just plain awful. But I guess that can happen. I told her that those people weren't really friends, they may be acquaintances, but you have to choose the people you call friend wisely. Not everyone you hang out with or talk to occasionally is your friend. That brief little chat got me thinking about all the people I have called friend in the past. Not all of them were real friends but I wanted to make it seem like I was well-liked so that is what I called them in different circles when the truth was I couldn't really stand most of them. Isn't that ridiculous?

It also made me wonder how many of those people really were friends that just lost communication for other reasons. I mean the young man is in college, there are sports, activities, events that his friends must participate in. Plus, because he cannot get around he has his mother staying with him in his dorm room, which is a bit awkward for those who are barely 19 and want to be on their own. There is also the possibility that he may be a jerk, but I have met with him and he seems to be a wonderful person but his constant procedures and medical needs keep him on a schedule that some may find it hard to fit into. My earlier post was about intentional music, this one is about intentional friendships. Some of you may be singing the well-known Travis Greene song in your head right now, and I am not mad at you for it, I just want to go deeper than that.



Above is a picture of Pon and Zi, two friends that I have loved since middle school. Back then, however, I was in a constant state of anxiety and I daresay depression and I used these images to remind me of broken relationships. It saddened me but made me happy because it felt like I wasn't the only one. Misery loves company, I guess. The creator of Pon and Zi has many sad images of the couple but many positive ones as well. (Disclaimer: I do not have any rights to them). I love this image because it is an example of what a real friendship is like. I was walking down the street with a friend I shall call M and we started singing at the top of our lungs, just random songs on our way home from helping out with a church event. It was late at night and people probably thought we were drunk but I didn't care and she didn't care because we were having fun together.

And I have another friend named F and whenever we get together we are a hot mess. Recently, she came to visit me and brought her boyfriend and I am sure he got to see a new side of her because we have always had this saying, "A friend is someone who will help you up when you fall. A best friend is someone who will push you down, laugh and then help you". Friends are the ones you can be your crazy, wonky, sarcastic self with. Friends will get all weird and fan-girl with you over the stuff your into even though it seems strange to others like anime and K-pop. Friends are always there when you need them. I mean, that is not totally true but they are there about 90% of the time. The only person who is always there is Jesus, but Jesus is our friend, right guys? ;)

I am such and tired of calling people friends who are really just colleagues or acquaintances that I won't get to know to well outside of whatever area I met them in. Just because someone is a friend of a friend does not make them mine and just because we got to the same church or watch the same shows does not make you my friend.

What makes a person qualified to be your friend?

Today's song is a classic: Robin Williams singing Friend Like Me

Pinky Promise

Fellowship with the Sisters in Christ

Hey to all my females out there. This might sound like a public service announcement, but I want to talk about Pinky Promise really quick. For those who have not heard of it, which means most, it is a wonderful group of women from all over the US coming together to glorify God and uplift each other. 

I joined the group in the town where my college is from and I love it. I met wonderful women who loved God and give me wise counsel. Key word in that sentence is wise. Not all of your friends tell you what is best for you, as you can tell from some of my other posts. These girls will listen (without interrupting), give you encouragement, talk to you about their experiences and point you to others who may be able to help. They never try and force a decision on you, they become friends for life. Plus, there are tons of cool events that come along with joining, or starting, a group. You can have the Bible studies, go to the conference in July, have mixers and other things to encourage the bond between godly women. Last week, my group held a big hat luncheon, it was so much fun. 

There are also times where we go to the beach or bowling. My group even has the occasional karaoke session (yaasssss). We also just hang out because what started as a Bible study group formed friendships and bonds. One of my friends said that she met the Paul to her Timothy there which is AMAZING! For those of you who are not familiar with the Bible, Paul (fka Saul) was an apostle of Christ who led many people to Jesus Christ. However, one of his "sons in Christ' was named Timotheus or Timothy, whichever you prefer. Timothy was young and through Paul's help he got to know Jesus Christ for himself. Paul provided Timothy with wise counsel but also expected Timothy to help draw others to Christ. So I have two questions for you: who is your Paul? And who is your Timothy?

One perk that I haven't mentioned yet is that it draws women from all backgrounds. Photographers, artists, preachers, students, beauticians. And on the last one, if you are in Central Florida and need a beautician look up @FaithInCurls. You can probably assume by the cartoon I use for this blog, I'm a curly girl. She gives hair revelations! Lol. See for yourself below. Much love to all my sisters in Christ and to the brothers as well. If there is a male equivalent to Pinky Promise hit me up and I will definitely post about it.

Here is the link to the Pinky Promise website:

http://www.pinkypromisemovement.com/

And here is an amazing song by Travis Greene: Made A Way