She Will Be My Friend!

She Will Be My Friend!

[Ruth replied,] “Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.”

Ruth 1:16

Several years ago I went on a girls’ weekend with a handful of friends. A new woman who had just moved to our area, and who also happened to be the youth pastor’s wife, was invited to come with us. It was a lovely weekend of connecting with other women, having fun, and enjoying a break from our usual lives.

On the second morning, as the new woman, Jenny, showered, my sister Katrina proclaimed to those of us in the room, “She will be my friend!” We all looked at her and giggled at the proclamation, as someone else asked, “And what about us? We’d like to be her friends too!” Laughing, Katrina responded that of course we could all be friends with Jenny.

And that is exactly what happened. Katrina intentionally pursued a relationship with Jenny, who, over the years, became one of her closest friends and confidantes, walking with her through some of the hardest days of her life.

Developing friendships is not always easy. Often it takes a willingness to put ourselves out there and even be intentional and vulnerable about pursuing a relationship with another person. Katrina’s example is one that I still emulate today whenever I meet a new woman whom I really connect with and think, She will be my friend. Just as Ruth pledged herself to Naomi in today’s Scripture, we can allow others into our lives as a purposeful act of kindness that bonds us to them. It’s an act that takes time and a willingness to openly and honestly share ourselves with others. So many people are in need of a good friend, and if you take the time to notice others, you may just be the answer to someone’s prayer for friendship.

—Kendra

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Look for someone who may be lonely or in need of a friend. Be intentional about extending a hand of kindness and an invitation of friendship toward them.