Are You a Friend?!

Are you a friend?!  The thought hit me today at lunch. As I am sitting at the table watching others around me visiting with their friends, I am reminded of how good it is to have friends. Some people I know say hi and we exchange greetings and a smile. How wonderful it is to smile. In the past I have had to do a few college papers, some of which discussed depression. During the process of formulating these papers I discovered that a smile can actually make you feel better. Also that a great way to combat depression is to serve others. 

My mind begins to form a spiderweb of thoughts. Friendship. Fellowship. Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Ladies of Life is meeting tonight. How wonderful it is that we have all of those ladies coming together and growing in their walks with each other! Our GMG McAlester Bible Study, an even smaller group of ladies meeting together weekly to discuss, discover, and bond!

All of these thoughts are provoked, then I give them some attention as I feel God is trying to tell me something. You see, my spiderweb of thoughts wouldn't have always looked like that. I was raised with different mindsets, weather they were meant to be implicated upon me or not. Before the spiderweb would have had things like, 'no one knows me', 'I don;t have friends', 'you can't trust people', or 'I'm a nobody and will never be anyone'. My heart begins to ache, wondering how many people in that room were thinking those things. Then I have to wonder how many people of the world think those things. It saddens me because I know the effect of those thought. I know how discouraged you feel when you think like that. But there is a point God is trying to get across our brains!

For one, you are somebody. You are somebody spectacular and fabulous and very unique. You were created with a purpose! Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;" Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Then I felt God wanting to encourage his children! 'Get up, go! Say hello to someone! Step out! You are wonderful and fabulous, I created you a masterpiece [Psalm 139:14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.] so go show someone!' Another mindset that I ended up with, and had to put a lot of effort into breaking, was one that said 'I can't go talk to someone else, they're too good for me. If I am going to talk to anyone, they must come talk to me first'. This is dangerous. While you are thinking this you are feeling vulnerable and unworthy, but how it comes off is conceded and snotty.

We are to pick up our crosses (Luke 9:23). But we must not see the cross post resurrection, we must look at this pre death. The cross is like our electric chair or lethal injection, except much more agonizing. Right before that charge in Luke we are told to deny ourselves. So as torturous as it may seem, try stepping out of your comfort zone and talking to someone new.

My youth pastor preached a sermon that contained this statement, "you cannot give what you do not have". Taking that thought and applying it to this one we end up with "If you want to gain a friend, you must first be a friend". So I pose this question, Are you a friend?!