Counsels on Relationships

Counsel #3 — How To Make Friends

Picture: Counsel #3 — How to Make Friends CR 21.1

Join a club or local group of people with similar interests, like hiking, biking, music, Bible study, etc. Volunteer at a hospital, school, or other type of community service center. Accept invitations to meals with groups of people. Smile! Initiate conversation. Listen. And ask God to help you in your search for friends.^[18] CR 21.2

Online socializing can be positive with appropriate precautions and healthy boundaries intact, especially if it’s with friends who you’re not physically near. However, the benefits of real time connections and face-to-face conversations are necessary, irreplaceable, and typically more fulfilling than online connections.  CR 21.3

“A man who has friends must himself be friendly.” Proverbs 18:24 NKJV CR 21.4

“Never let amusements, or the companionship of others, come between you and Jesus, your best Friend…. Christians have many sources of happiness at their command, and they may tell with unerring accuracy what pleasures are lawful and right…. If they can take Jesus with them, and maintain a prayerful spirit, they are perfectly safe.” Ellen White in The Faith I Live By, p. 237 CR 21.5

Reflect: If you are lonely, which of the above suggestions might help you make friends? CR 21.6