Almost everything and anything is available to us through the internet. Entertainment. Education. Knowledge awaits at our fingertips. One click and a product from across the world arrives at your doorstep. But one thing still remains that you can’t go bid on eBay or have two-day delivered from Amazon Prime.
What is this gift?
No matter how much money you have, no matter how fast your computer connection, you’ll never be able to go and buy a 15-year-old friendship online.
Such relationships require time. Nurturing. Investment. Persistence. Grace.
For the last 15 years, my friend, Sheila, and I have nurtured such a friendship. We live on opposite sides of country. Both of us has gone through major life transitions and moves over the years.
Yet the linchpin to nurturing our friendship may surprise you:
This beat up, scratched, well-worn metal ball has traveled thousands of miles back and forth across the country. “The Friendship Ball” is passed back and forth in celebration of life and memorable occasions between friends.
Every few months for the last 15 years, Sheila and I send it back to each other with a gift. Over the years, the ball has been packed with chocolate, wrapped in a bright scarf, nestled next to a candle, tucked into a fun purse, and much more.
Tucked into these packages is a hand-written note with personal updates and prayer.
“Friendship is born at that moment when one man says to another: “What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .”
This little ball has played an instrumental role in nurturing one of the most joyful gifts of life: a precious, long-term friendship.
Making new friends is always a hoot, but savoring the old ones over time is priceless.
The friend who walks with you through the pinnacles and valleys of life.
The friend who roots for you no matter what situation you’re facing.
The friend who will listen without being judgy when you really need to talk.
The friend who celebrates your wins and mourns with your losses.
The friend who collects wrinkles and skin flaps and grey hairs and bald spots and a few extra pounds along side you and loves you anyway.
“We’ll be Friends Forever, won’t we, Pooh?’ asked Piglet.
Even longer,’ Pooh answered.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
Pause for a moment.
What are the friendships in your life that have flourished for more than a decade?
More than two decades? Or three?
Today is a day to remember and reach out. Send an email. Pick up the phone. Connect on Facebook. Send a package. Maybe even a friendship ball.
You can make your own friendship ball by decorating anything circular. Add a tag about the importance of friendship (John 15:13).
Invest yourself in the very thing money can’t buy—the joyful gift of decades of friendship.
As I explain in Fight Back With Joy, you won’t make it through somethings in life without good friends.
Fight Back With Joy book and 6-session DVD Bible study are now available for pre-order. To pre-order the book and Bible study, and receive incredible gifts for ordering, click here.
What do you do to nurture your long-term friendships?
What do you think is the biggest contributor to losing these precious relationships?
Want to escape fear and regret? Margaret’s new book and Bible study, Fight Back With Joy: Regret Less. Celebrate More. Stare Down Your Greatest Fears. will help you apply biblical strategies to whatever challenge you’re facing. Click here to purchase your copy.
