Befriend

Befriend

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

WHAT AM I DOING HERE? I really only know Vanessa, so maybe I can make an excuse about work needing me and leave early. Kat’s thoughts swirled uncomfortably as she watched the other women along on the birthday getaway weekend race back to their hotel rooms to grab sweaters. Walking toward the lobby, she spotted Terri sitting in one of the cozy chairs, ready to go. Gingerly sitting in the chair across from Terri, Kat panicked silently. She knew of and respected Terri but didn’t know her personally and wasn’t sure how to break the awkward silence.

Leaning forward, Terri did it for her by quietly asking, “What are you afraid of?”

“You!” Kat exclaimed, laughing nervously, hoping it came off as a joke, despite the truth in her voice.

Terri, a marriage and family therapist by training, nodded solemnly before walking over and giving Kat a hug, whispering, “You belong” in her ear , and then returning to her chair just as the others began rejoining them, chatting happily.

Terri is a befriender, a woman who actively puts the women around her at ease. She looks for the girl on the fringes, pulling her in and including her. She loves others well, with the divine insight and wisdom that comes straight from the Holy Spirit.

When God calls us to love one another, he is asking us to be befrienders—women who notice when someone feels uncomfortable and actively seek to bring her into the group, letting her know that she belongs. Befriending requires bravery, risking the rejection inherent in reaching out. It requires a willingness to engage in the slightly uncomfortable, slightly awkward conversations that come with getting to know a new person. It requires effort, an investment of time and energy not usually necessary with our oldest, deepest friendships. But the result of befriending is that the world will see who we belong to and want to join the family of God.

Lord, may we practice the art of befriending today. Amen.

-Julie

One Good Step: Practice striking up conversations as you wait in line, as you ride public transportation, as you go about your daily life.