The Art of Friendship
Good friendships nourish our soul!
Do you have a BFF? A childhood friend? A neighbor who is also a friend? Is your mother/sister/cousin your best friend?
Friends are a gift from God! With purpose and good intent, God brings people across our path each and every day. Some are just fleeting interactions, some remain acquaintances, and some will stick like glue and become dear friends!
Scripture speaks of friends whose hearts are knit together. It also speaks of friends who tell us the truth that we need to hear about ourselves - they speak truth in love to us - and it helps us to grow and be transformed for the better.
Friends make us laugh, they help us through difficult seasons of life, they celebrate milestones with us, and they remind us that we are not alone. They affirm and connect us to others.
What are some aspects of a good friendship? Perhaps you share common interests, or your children are the same age, or you go to the same church or you work together. Maybe you worked on a project together, and achieved a goal together - and remained friends long after the project was completed.
Do you have “category” friends? This is actually a very healthy form of friendship! Is there that one friend that you call first when you have BIG news to share, or when there is an emergency? Do you have a different friend with whom you exchange funny meme texts? Do you have a friend who is a prayer partner? A shopping buddy? A walking partner? It would be challenging for one person to fill all of those various roles…but a collection of faithful friends can make you feel rich in camaraderie!
Perhaps your dearest friends live a far distance from you, and you cannot get together often. Thank goodness for FaceTime, texts, phones, email, and good, old-fashioned snail-mail. A handwritten note or card to a friend is a cherished gesture! We all enjoy the surprise of a personal, handwritten note in the mailbox instead of bills and advertisements, right? Maybe take a moment today to write a short note to a friend and let them know you are thinking of them, and how much they mean to you.
Prayer is another wonderful way to unite hearts in friendship! If your friend(s) live nearby, perhaps you could plan a time once a month to gather together to pray for your families, for your community, for our country, and for our world. It doesn’t have to be a fancy event - just an informal, brief time of prayer can be so encouraging, and also fosters hope! Perhaps share a verse or a thought that has been a blessing to you. We all hear so much negativity from the media each day. It is going to take a bit of deliberate effort to turn the tide of darkness, and to lead the way with positivity, hope, faith, and light! Even if your friends live far away, you can do a Zoom prayer gathering, or just text a “praying” emoji to each other at a certain time each week. I recall a time a few years ago when I was going through a challenging time with one of my children, and a far-away friend was experiencing similar circumstances. We made a commitment to pray for our children at 10 am every Friday morning, and we would simply text the “praying” emoji to each other, then spend a few quiet moments in prayer alone - but together in spirit and in unity on behalf of our kids. We saw God give miraculous answers to our prayers in the weeks that followed!
Sometimes, friendships require forgiveness. No one is perfect, and at times, our imperfection spills over into our friendships. There is a time to say, “I’m sorry, I was wrong, please forgive me.” Valuable friendships can be preserved by forgiveness. Life is too short to hold a grudge against a friend or loved one. We can forgive because God forgives us…over and over and over again.
If you are feeling lonely, or you feel that you don’t have many friends, step out of your comfort zone and go make some friends! Proverbs 18:24 tells us that in order to have friends one must show himself to be friendly. At Evilena’s, we offer opportunities to make new friends, or to enjoy time together with the friends you already have! Our workshops and classes are a great way to meet new friends! We have many people who sign up alone, and when they come to learn a new skill or complete a project, they go home with a finished piece, and also some new acquaintances!
We want you to feel welcome and valuable when you walk into Evilena’s Red Dresser! We exist because of YOU, our consignors and customers! Your loyalty and faithful friendship to our store is what keeps us going day by day and year after year. Thank you!
In fact, we appreciate you SO much, that we have planned a special event to celebrate you, your friends, and your family! Please join us on Saturday, April 30 for a VERY special day! Bring your mom, or a friend, a sister, a daughter, a grandma, a neighbor…or invite a friend you would like to get to know better.
We selected this particular weekend in April because it honors the memory of Evilena, Jan’s mom - whose birthday was April 28th. For years, we've always had a special event at Evilena’s Red Dresser to celebrate Evilena’s birthday at the end of April. When she was still here with us, so many of you came in to wish her a Happy Birthday, and she was always so happy to see you! This occasion always made her feel so special! We would like to continue Evilena’s legacy by passing this blessing along to you, and to your loved ones. One very special thing we would like to do is honor the women who are 90 years old and up. Please contact us to let us know if you will be bringing a friend, mother, or any other woman who is 90 or older, and we have a special gift just for them at our celebration on April 30th.
We are designing a beautiful photo booth area where you will be able to have photos taken and emailed to you. No appointment is necessary for the photos - simply dress up and show up ready to pose and to capture a special memory with your friends and loved ones! We will take the photos and email them to you to do with as you please.
There will also be flowers galore, surprise giveaways, free raffles, coupons, and live music.
This will be a festive event that you do not want to miss! We can’t wait to see you and your friends and family. Introduce us to the women who have influenced you and impacted your life. Tell us why they are important to you, and why you love them so much. Let’s celebrate together the joy of friendship, and the blessing of women who are our mothers, sisters, daughters, cousins, aunts, neighbors, and friends!
