My little redheaded granddaughter, Ava, would soon be blowing out five candles on her birthday cake. We were at her house a few weeks before and I said, “Baby girl, what would you like for Grandmama and Granddaddy to get you for your birthday?”
Ava sat there and thought for a few minutes. (These are big decisions!) She rattled off some possibilities. And then with great emphasis, she said, “Oh, Jenny needs a friend! She’s lonely.”
Jenny is her doll that we bought her for Christmas. One of those more “big girl” dolls with cute clothes, shoes and accessories. We’d also bought the big stable with the horse for Jenny to ride, a gift that had made Ava’s face light up when she opened it.
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Paul and I trekked to the store where we’d bought Ava’s first doll. We picked out a new friend for Jenny, delighted that we found one with red hair like our sweet girl. The night of her birthday party, Ava ripped the paper off the box. And then she squealed in excitement, “Look! Jenny has a friend! She won’t be lonely anymore. And now she’ll have somebody to hold the horse while she gets on.”
Don’t children have the best imaginations? And wouldn’t it be nice if we could find new friends that easily?
Friendships are important and I’ve been blessed with some amazing ones. True friends will be there with us during rough times and will cheer for us during good times. They’ll pray for us, spend time with us and make us laugh. And sometimes they’ll tell us hard truths—not because they want to hurt us, but because they want the best for us. I want to be that kind of friend to the ones who so bless my heart and life.
But if not chosen well, friends can tear us down, break our hearts and even cause us to go down wrong paths with them. Those aren’t the kind of buddies we want, but just like Ava’s doll, Jenny, it can be lonely when we don’t have friends.
So today, if God has blessed you with awesome friends, thank Him for that and then tell your cherished pals how precious they are to you. And if you’re lonely today, ask God to send you some friends. Just as Paul and I wanted to make our precious granddaughter’s face light up with the gift of a new friend for Jenny, God delights in making His children happy.
And the best news? We all have the perfect Friend. One who is available to us at all times, who cares passionately about us, who wants the best for all of us. Aren’t you grateful for that? I know I am!
A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24)
