Be The One

The Importance of Friendship

Ever read Dr. Seuss as a kid or maybe as a parent to your kids? The silly rhymes going round and round seem like they make little sense but there are some deep meanings behind the tongue twisting words. I even use one of his quotes as my tag line for this blog! “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.” But there are a couple of his quotes about friendship that I especially love. “To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.” “I know it is wet and the sun is not sunny. But we can have lots of good fun that is funny.” I love these because it validates our significance in another’s life and that with that special friend the circumstances are less important than just simply being together! I think we all understand the importance of having good friends, but do we fully recognize the significance of being that good friend?

Life can get crazy—the job, the kids, spouse/significant other, pets, driving here and there, dinner, groceries, church, volunteering, boy scouts/girl scouts, baseball/softball, and the list of things to do goes on and on. With this never-ending list, finding time for friends can become lost in the shuffle and so we have to be very intentional to carve out that time. Why?

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived tells us in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor: if either of them falls down one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.” Even if you aren’t a Jesus follower or believe in God or the Bible, this wisdom applies to us all because the reality is, we have all fallen at some point and time in our lives and needed that person to come along side us and help us up. And if you haven’t fallen yet, just hang in there, you will. Inspiring right?

Unfortunately, going through difficulties is just a part of life. Jesus warns us in this life we will have troubles (John 16:33) so let’s brace ourselves for that reality by building and maintaining good friendships because there will come a day when you not only need to have one but will need to be the one.

SIDE NOTE: By no means am I talking about unhealthy relationships or codependency where one person sacrifices their entire lives because the other demands it. That’s not okay and if you’re involved in a relationship like that, please take steps to seek help. This is an article about healthy, vibrant friendships where give and take are equally shared.

Be the one that takes the call at two a.m. because your friend is having an anxiety attack. Be the one that goes the extra mile because a bad doctors report was just delivered. Be the one that genuinely and whole-heartedly celebrates your friends good news. Be the one who comes along side that friend who just lost her husband. Be the one who helps that friend up who is down in a deep pit of depression. Be the one who offers encouragement and strength to the friend who trembles with fear of facing their giants. Be the one who just sits with the friend because they simply need you to sit with them.

So, be the one who isn’t afraid to get in there with a friend when life gets messy because when we take the time to be the one, the moment your friends head lifts, their feet get planted under them, they take that first step toward slaying their giants is treasure immeasurable!