Friends

I see close friendship as a gift from God and invest in it accordingly

I am willing to be known — not just liked — by my closest friends

I understand that a friend who always agrees with me is less valuable than one who tells me the truth

I initiate — I do not wait for friends to always come to me

I remember what is happening in my friends' lives and follow up on it

I tell my close friends what I value about them — out loud, not just in my head

When a friendship drifts or breaks, I take responsibility for my part rather than only seeing theirs

I choose not to let busyness become the permanent excuse for having no real friends

I bring loneliness to God rather than numbing it — and let it motivate me to reach out

I reach out to a friend I have let slide and make a concrete plan to reconnect

When a friend wrongs me, I go to them directly rather than letting the distance grow

I pray for my friends by name and by what I know they are carrying right now