The Cherry on Top

“Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.” Proverbs 17:17 (The Message)

Alyssa and her high school friends! (20120

Friends make life sweeter! Friends are the cherry on top of life! I give God thanks every day for the friends I have in my life. Friends bring a smile to my day, when other things seem be dragging me down. Friends make me laugh, care when I cry, and push me to be the best that I can be. Friends are a blessing beyond compare.

I pray for the friendships that my kids are building now. Some of the friends that they are making will last a lifetime. And some of their friends will hurt them somewhere along the way. Good friends will help them through the bad days, or encourage them to follow Christ in all that they do. Then there are other friends who may lead them down paths that pull them further from God. May God help them choose their friends wisely. And when the hurts come, because they inevitably will, I pray that God will heal their hearts, and help them live in a state of free-flowing forgiveness.

May my kids find friends that
…bring laughter into their lives
…help them make wise choices.
…encourage them when they are down.
…walk with them through thick and thin.
…forgive them when they’ve been hurt.
…push them to be better in school, in relationships, and in all of life.
…And last, but not least, draw them closer to God.

“A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg

 even though he knows that you are slightly cracked” –Bernard Meltzer

Precious Father, you are the greatest Friend of all, and I pray that my kids live their life in a continual state of building a friendship with you. May you use their friends to bless their lives, and to encourage them in their walk with you. I pray that the friends they choose will follow after you, and journey along with my kids as they live their lives for you. May my kids find friends who will build them up, make them laugh, and encourage them daily, and through thick and thin. Help my kids make wise choices about their friends, and wise choices WITH their friends. In turn, I pray that my kids become good friends, and treat their friends the way that reflects you living in their lives. May their friendships be a blessing!