Queen of the Castle: Week 42

For those of you playing along...(if you've just joined us you can get caught up a bit here) we are on week 42 of the book Queen of the Castle: 52 weeks of encouragement for the uninspired, domestically challenged or just plain tired homemaker.

 This week the topic is "Friendship".  Lynn laments that she's not always the friend she wants to be.  We all feel that way, don't we?  Between family, church, school, lessons and activities, and household chores we are stretched beyond our limits some days. Sometimes we have to make due with what we've got and often times, shares Lynn, that includes sending a card or making a phone call.  "...God can use my humble offerings, like He did the two small coins offered by the widow, which were all she had to give (see Mark 12:41-44)".

Lynn suggests various ways to make friend connections: Bible study, mom groups, craft nights, occasional lunches out, exercise classes, and I'll add FaceBook in there for good measure.  (Don't laugh...FB is the ONE place I can connect with everyone and visit with friends whom I miss that real one on one interaction with.) 

Lynn shares a story about stretching herself to chat with a grocery checkout guy.  Not to make a lifelong friend, but to be friendly.  She didn't want to strike up a conversation but her son suggested it so she went forth and had nice results.  If we want to have friends we need to show ourselves friendly.  No, that saying is not in the Good Book, but Jesus did go about "doing good".  "Not only did he leave a large body of teachings on the value of love which does not seek its own -- he was also the embodiment of such love.  When all is said and done, Christ is our source for the art of relating."  (Alan Loy McGinnis The Friendship Factor)

Lynn offers some five minute friendship ideas:
*Order a pizza and have it delivered to a friend's house.
*Buy her a gift certificate at the local coffee place or ice cream shop and pop it in the mail.
*Pray for her via e-mail or by leaving a prayer on her answering machine.
*Leave a "have a good day" sticky note on her door or her car if you're close by.
*Send stickers in the mail to cheer her on.

"When time for friends is extremely limited, follow Cynthia Heald's advice:  Meet some classic Christian authors through your reading.  You'll never be without a wise friend, day or night."

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"A friend loves at all times."  Proverbs 17:17