Ten Commandments of Friendship

Friends....oh what a blessing they are! There is something so special about sitting across from a friend and sharing from the heart. Whether it is a funny story, complaint she will understand, joy that needs to be shared or a burden that needs to be unloaded, friends meet a vital need in our lives.

Although they are such an important part of our lives, it is often difficult to make the transition from an acquaintance to friend. It takes deliberate and intentional effort. Plus, someone has to make the first move! For years that would not be me. I would passively wait to be spoken to, respond only as a response and sit quietly until approached. Then I discovered the many treasures of relationships I was missing since the majority of other women were doing the same thing...waiting on the other person!

A recent book shared 10 Commandments of Friendship. These are easy things to incorporate into our lives that will bring a bounty of blessings!

Speak to people:
There is nothing as nice as a cheerful word of greeting.

Smile at people:
It takes 72 muscles to frown but only 14 to smile!

Call people by name:
The sweetest music to anyone's ear is the sound of their own name.

Be friendly and helpful:
If you would have friends, be friendly.

Be cordial:
Speak and act as if everything you do were a real pleasure.

Be genuinely interested in people:
You can like everyone (for find something good) IF you try.

Be generous with praise, cautious with criticism:
Try for a ratio of seven praises to each criticism.

Be considerate of the feelings of others:
It will be appreciated!

Be thoughtful of the opinions of others.
People love their opinions as they do their own children, calling them ugly won't get you anythign but anger!

Be alert to give service:
What counts most in life is what we do for others.

May we be intentional to look for the best in and for others. Practice things like when you make contact with people search for way to make others look good. Highlight and give the three things everyone needs: attention, affirmation, appreciation. Within 30 seconds of conversation say something encouraging. Practice, practice, practice and watch others flourish and you find you have many blessed friendships!

Comments

Top 10 Workout DVDs

Prevention Magazine is a leader in health and fitness news and products. They recently came up with the top 10 list of workout DVDs. They have examined the many fitness DVDs out there and narrowed down a list of the best ones. There is a DVD for every fitness level. If you are looking to incorporate some exercise into your day in the convenience of your own home, take a look at this list. Here is an additional money saving tip: If you see a DVD that you are interested in, check out Amazon or Ebay before ordering. Many times they have pre-owned DVDs at a fraction of the cost of a new one.

Sometimes We Score, Sometimes We Block

Our family is in the midst of little league soccer season. My youngest son is playing and his enthusiasm is contagious. He is pretty good at the sport, but what makes it so great is that he loves it! He counts the days until the next game or practice. He loves his coach and teammates. He has moved up an age level this year and the players are working more like team, passing to each other and watching out for each other during play. During the last game, my son scored two goals, they were the only goals of the game. In today's game the team scored eight goals. My son came up afterwards to me and said, "I didn't score today, but I blocked". What a powerful truth those words can hold. In life, sometimes we score, sometimes we block. Sometimes we do great things, we excel, we achieve, we meet our goal - we score! There are also times we see the needs of others, sometimes they are sad or hurting, we block their hits. We look out for them so they can score. We...

Word Filled Wednesday – Act Justly

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 Sometimes we struggle so hard with the question “What does God want us to do and be?” This verse is a simple yet powerful reminder of some simple things that God requires of us. Act and do justly, love mercy and walk humbly before God. There are numerous opportunities each day to do justly, to do the right thing or to make the right choice. We love mercy when we show kindness or mercy oftentimes to those who do not deserve it. Walking humbly before God is acknowledging He alone is God. He is the I AM – no one else is. When we give Him the glory He is worthy of, it will humble our heart before Him....

Joyfull Living

Search This Blog