Feminine Friday - Friends Forever

Today's topic for Feminine Friday is FRIENDS!! We girls need friends!  We were created to crave that fellowship, understanding and common bonds of friendship. There is nothing sweeter than a true friend, one who we can have fun with, can cry to, who understands us. 

A recent sermon I heard - Designed By the Divine for a woman brought out some points about girlfriends I had never heard, but have stirred my heart to be intentional about the girlfriends in my life. 

Every woman needs friends, but they also need three different kind of friends:
1.  One who they look to
2.  One who they look up to
3.  One that looks up to them

One To Look To:

This is our "go to girlfriend". She knows us inside and out and we share much together. Good times or bad, she is always there.  "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."  Proverbs 27:17  This will probably be our favorite type of friendship and is indeed a true gift, but, if this is the only type of friendship we have, we can get too sharp. We get too comfortable, too confident, selfish and critical.  If we have nothing more to gain, we get complacent, which has no room in a Christian woman's life!

One To Look Up To:

Sometimes called a mentor, every woman needs a godly older woman's influence.  Someone who has gone further than us in life and conquered trials, difficulties and is an example of holiness and godliness.  This lady often catches our eye and attention simply in the way they handle themselves.  They are full of grace and extend grace to those around them.  We want to be more like her, but know it will take extra effort.  We can purpose to draw near this type of friend and watch and learn from her.  By befriending her - (don't ask her to 'mentor' you, but simply stay near her and learn), we can watch how she reacts, responds and we can listen and learn.

One That Looks Up To Us:

Once we become wives, perhaps mothers, gain a little experience, get a little life behind us, we gain the ability to be an influence.  This is an important factor to always remember, we are influencing someone in the way we talk, share, carry ourselves etc. We need to be mindful to be that godly influence and truly point others to Christ.  As we grow in wisdom and experience, Titus 2 is our biblical mandate on what to teach 'the younger women".  We need to be on the look out for those younger with less experience than us and teach them the ways of godly womanhood...how to love their husbands, their children, "to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed." 

As we celebrate our friendships, may we enjoy them, treasure them and be aware of areas we can grow in (seeking that one to look up to) and areas where God has given us growth we can pass along to others (those that look up to us).  This equips us to be a well rounded and valuable friend!