Cherish Your Friendships
Thanks for Lunch Today Davey!
Ever feel too busy to care and stay connected to the people you really love? Stop it! Friendship is a rare and valuable gift. Keep in contact with the people in your life that really matter and be actively intentional about it.
This was the lesson I learned from my experience at the La Jolla Presbyterian Men's Retreat. This wasn't the topic of the retreat. I was the speaker so I can say it emphatically. I saw intentionality played out and rewarded in amazing ways.
At this retreat, I had the chance to be with some of my closest friends. A few years ago I realized that some of these guys were guys I wanted to be friends with for the rest of my life. When I realized that, I got intentional about planning time with them, talking to them and praying for them.
I am a pastor and my life is filled with relationships so this lesson is even more important to mind. Simply put, I suggest you do a few things.
1. Make a list of friends you want to have for life. Be thoughtful about this and try to keep your list manageable.
2. Calendar contact time. If these are people you truly want to have as friends, invest your time in them. Be intentional about calling and talking to them to the exclusion of others that aren't on your list. Remember, these are your friends for life. If this sounds to sterile or planned, get over it. Our busy world requires intentionality.
3. Pray actively. Take this list and make it one of your primary prayer lists. Go over it at least once a week and make sure you are checking in with your friends to find out how they need your prayers.
4. Don't trust it all to Social Media. While great for keeping in contact, it is said that Social media is great at bringing those far way close but also pushes those close far away. That is the case so be aware of your social media use and don't rely on that for your intentional friendship time.
Make that list this week and get busy!
