I don’t know about you, but my momma always said, “choose your friends wisely”, and I’ve even found myself saying something to that effect to my own children. But something hit me the other day…how much more important is it, that we choose our friends wisely as adults? Sure, it’s fun to have friends that “like” the same things that I do, but what about the hearts of my friends? Do we value the same things? Do we have similar goals in how we are raising our children? How about how we treat and talk about our husbands or our parents?
To me, a GREAT friend, sister in the Lord, and eternal blessing, is a girlfriend that you can spend five minutes or five hours with, and leave her presence feeling encouraged, uplifted, and motivated. I’m laughing as I type this, because my husband KNOWS which friends encourage me in specific areas. I have one dear friend in particular that always manages to encourage me and inspire me in the “love department”. LOL! 
She strives to fulfill her husband’s every need in that area and I always leave her presence motivated to do the same. My husband thanks her for that. I’m so blessed to have several girlfriends who GREATLY, HUGELY, ENORMOUSLY encourage me in the homeschooling department. Typically, these friends also encourage and inspire me to be a better mom, handle things better with my children, and spend more time with the Lord. I have to add that some of my dearest friends are single and can’t relate to me on many of these topics, but their love for the Lord and their desire to wait on God’s perfect mate completely melts my heart, and I pray for them daily. What a rare treasure to find a woman that is truly following after God’s heart and putting aside the desires of her own. Their husbands will be richly blessed.
Then there is another type of friend, or sometimes we simply refer to them as “acquaintances”. This is the girl that you don’t see very often and don’t really have a very close relationship with, but you still have a few things in common, so you make the effort to maintain a friendship, by meeting her for coffee once in a blue moon, or have her and her husband/family over for dinner once or twice a year. This friend, however, thrives on drama, always has bad news to share, and looks at life rather pessimistically. It doesn’t take long before you feel mentally and emotionally drained, and by the time you leave her presence, you don’t ever plan to hang out again. I don’t have very many “acquaitances” like this, but there have been a few over the years. Don’t get me wrong, there are always going to be seasons in our lives when we’re not the most exciting person to be around. We all go through hard times, we all need a shoulder to cry on from time to time, but I’m talking about people who are generally like that ALL THE TIME.
All I’m saying is, I’m SO very thankful for the girlfriends God has placed in my life. I have no doubt in my mind that God hand-picks our friends if we let Him. Have you ever noticed how God often brings someone new or someone from the past into your life right when you need her…”for such a time as this?” I love being able to look back on seasons in my life when a new friend or a friend from “way back when” is able to encourage me and help me out of a hard time. I know God has used many of my friends as angels in my life at certain times. For me, never having had any biological sisters, my girlfriends are that much more important to me.
So isn’t it even MORE important to choose our friends wisely as adults? When God puts specific friends on your heart, give her a call, write her an email, or send her a card. You never know when God may be trying to use YOU as her angel that week.
Thank you, Lord, for the blessings that are my sisters in Christ.
~audrey
