Good Friends and a bottle of time!

 

Wake the Faith up Slayer… This is Garth Heckman with the David Alliance and you can reach me at

TDAgiantslayer@gmail.com 

 

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I will never forget walking into a waiting room and sitting there for a Dr. appointment. And these two older men who knew each other were just talking away, a little loud due to them both being hard of hearing… and after a good 20 minutes of talking about hobbies, the war and politics one of the mens wives came out and he said “well the boss is here so I need to go”. Then he leans over to this other man and says “say, what was your name again?”. it struck me instantly that at that age, they realized relationships are most important… 

 

In the next month I am going to hang out with some good friends… some in Texas (Jack Ingram and the boys Franchise Blues Destroyers) Then I am bow hunting with some friends, then I am going on my yearly muskie trip with some of my oldest… were talking from grade school friends way up north and then in November I am going Deer hunting with a friend up on his 200 acre plot of land in Nor’dern Minnesota… and I am more excited about being with friends then I am with what we are actually doing…

 

Good friends are good for you! Friends can help you celebrate good times and provide support during bad times. Friends prevent isolation and loneliness and give you a chance to offer needed companionship, too. 

I love football, but I love it even more with friends, I love the UFC but I love it even more with friends. I love traveling and speaking and ministering around the globe, but I love it even more with friends. 

What does friendship do?

• Increase your sense of belonging and purpose, if you have a mission in life - friends help you better understand it, practice it and make you better at it. 
• Boost your happiness and reduce your stress
• Improve your self-confidence and self-worth
• Help you cope with traumas, such as divorce, serious illness, job loss or the death of a loved one
• Encourage you to change or avoid unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as excessive drinking or lack of exercise

 

Friends also play a significant role in promoting your overall health. Adults with strong social connections have a reduced risk of many significant health problems, including depression, high blood pressure and an unhealthy body mass index (BMI). In fact, studies have found that older adults who have meaningful relationships and social support are likely to live longer than their peers with fewer connections.

 

Why is it sometimes harder to develop friends and keep current friends close…

One of the main reasons I hear a lot is that a spouse is more of a homebody, loner, outgoing of truly likes their alone time, which is most of the time. Whaddya do? Allow them to have their alone time, but also reassure them that you are a better spouse if you have your friend time.

Also lets not forget Friendships may take a back seat to other priorities, such as work, caring for children or grandchildren or aging parents and maybe even your own health challenges. You and your friends may have grown apart due to changes in your lives or interests. Or maybe you've moved to a new community and haven't yet found a way to meet people.

But here is the good news… you don’t need a lot of friends. When it comes to friends it is always quality over quantity. In fact here is where I quote a scripture or two… but let me just say this, when the bible talks about the value of friends, it almost always speaks of A friend and not a group of friends.

So try this out for size today, text your friend and tell them how much you appreciate them… and if you don’t have A friend, then be that friend for someone else and watch how God will cause you to reap a few of your own A friends.