Girls and Friendships

 As summer begins at our home there are several key phrases I continue to hear-- “Can I invite a friend over?” “Can I go to (fill in any girl name here)’s house?” “Can I take someone with us?” Wherever we are going and whatever we are doing, all three of my girls want to have a friend with them.

What is it about girls and their friends? Why are relationships and friendships so significant to them?

I recently read an article about 11 women who had maintained a childhood friendship who are now in their mid-forties. [To read the entire article click here.] It talked about their friendship and how now they all live in different parts of the country but still maintain close relationships. Several things struck me about this group of women and their lifelong friendship. In their adult lives they’ve moved and found newer friends in their different communities. But these more recent friendships are built around their families, jobs, or current interests and communities. The bonds are limited to the here and now of their lives.

When one of the women was asked by some of her newer friends what she still has in common with these old childhood friends, she answered, “We root each other to the core of who we are, rather than what defines us as adults—by careers or spouses or kids. There’s a young girl in each of us who is still full of life. When we’re together, I try to remember that.’

Friendships are important. The Bible is full of scriptures that speak to the significance of friends and maintaining friendships throughout our lives. For example, friends are those people we can trust to be honest with us for our own good, even if we don’t want to hear the truth! (Proverbs 27:6, 9)

There’s a Spanish proverb that says: “Tell me who you’re with and I’ll tell you who you are.” Not God’s Word but significant words to think on. Who are my girls with? Who are they spending time with? How many of those girls have a relationship with Jesus? And how many of them will influence and challenge my girls to grow in their relationship with Jesus?

As I spend more time with my girls and their friends this summer I’m reminded how friendships influence and enhance our lives. And once again, I am convinced Girls Ministry is vital to the health and growth of girls. If my girls are going to spend time with other girls all summer, what better place than in my home or with other girls at church. These are the friendships that are connected by Christ and these are the relationships that I want to last for a lifetime!