friendship

To belong and to be known are two of the most important things we as humans need.

I have found two traits in friendship that I value very much, almost above anything. 

Besides trust of course.

These aren't your typical traits, I have never put them on my lists (which I make a lot of)

Or really given much thought to them, until now.

Ready?

Inclusive and Inquisitive.

Yeah yeah yeah, I like the alliteration, but thats not why I picked the words. 

Inclusive. What does that mean in friendship? 

When I am friends with anyone, or really when I first meet someone, my number one goal is always to make them feel included, wanted, accepted. 

Maybe its because I was created with this desire, or maybe it is because I am so aware of this in others, but when I am friends with someone, I want to be included into their life. 

Not just a tiny sliver of their life, but the ups, the downs: the good, the bad and the ugly.

The book of Ruth is the one of the most beautiful stories of friendship.

This story is about a widow, Naomi and her two widowed daughter in laws.

She is retuning to her homeland and urges her daughter in laws to return to theirs so they can find new husbands. Ruth, one of the daughters pleads with her to stay: 

 "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." (Ruth 1:16)

Thats kind of exactly how I define true friendship, not just the people you hang out with and pass time with, but those you do life with. The friend who says my friends are your friends,  invites you in on their adventures & most importantly encourages you to know God.

We are not meant to do life alone, we are created to connect with others. 

That brings me to Inquisitive. 

Inquisitive means to be curious, interested in knowing.

When I am truly friends with someone, their joys become my joys, their tears, mine.

When I have good news I can barely contain myself from sharing with those gem friends. 

A sign of true friendship is displayed when that friend inquires about my life in such a way that it is evident they are interested and that they care. 

Its easy to find people to have fun with, laugh with and enjoy life with, but finding those who invite you into their life and care deeply about your thoughts: those are hard to find. 

Invest in those people. 

When you invest in the right people, I promise you, you will aways walk away with more than you gave.