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Friendships with women of great hearts, engaged minds, and vibrant souls give us energy to fuel our lives. The design for sweet and close friendship is imprinted on our hearts by the fingers of God. We’re the girls. We’re strong. We laugh. We do things together. We make light in the darkness. Godly friendships are not just a luxury but a necessity to be able to sustain a healthy spiritual life.
Girl’s Club Book (Joy, Sarah & Sally Clarkson)
Covid has produced the craziest of circumstances for many of us. In the UK, for a while, we were allowed to have a “Bubble” family, one who was allowed to come to your house and you to theirs. Jacqui is my Bubble Buddy, (even though now it has changed again!)
Most Mondays, I get excited and anticipate a fun day because I know my sweet friend, Jacqui, will drive from London to spend time with me, just because we are friends. We made a plan and even in spite of covid, figure out when and where it is legal for us to meet. Coffee at some cafe is always in the picture, usually a walk near my home, (we are allowed to be outside!), but always fun, food, laughter and heart-felt comfort for the stresses we can share with one another about life.
I know that so many are lonely to the core during this time, because I get so many letters about this. We continue to be out of control of life, the illness keeps surging and our schedules keep changing. I know that loneliness can be a factor for many of us because most activities have been cancelled, we can’t have anyone in our homes, and life is challenging. I know that Clay and I would be quite lonely now, (when our children are not visiting) because we miss public church, gatherings, shared meals in our home with friends and just normal life. But, we have several friends who are faithful to reach out. to call, to come by and spend time with us outdoors!
In our book, Girls’ Club, where Joy, Sarah and I tell the story of how we all became best friends, Joy talks about the importance of “hitting the ball back.”
In a game, if you hit the ball to someone, it is only a game if the person hits the ball back. In friendship, there is a need for people to be mutually responsive, equally “game” to jump in and do what it takes to cultivate a friendship. Jacqui became that to me.
As I look back, it is unlikely that Jacqui and I would become friends, as we literally lived in different countries, had little in common, but as I hit the ball and invited my Facebook friends to come see me in Oxford, Jacqui came, and so the story begins. When I was quarantined, groceries showed up at my door, goodies of all sorts and of course flowers. It was like Christmas. And I see that God already knew I would need a kindred spirit to share life with and so He provided Jacqui—but she was available to be the gift I needed.
Today, we share all sorts of fun with you. How to initiate and respond in friendship, all about taking time in nature and so much more. I hope many of you will ponder reaching out to someone, or maybe you will hit the ball back to someone who has initiated to you. Or maybe you can serve a ball yourself. :)
You might be inspired with many ideas of how to find new friends or how to shape your own into best friends by reading Girls’ Club.
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