“Friends.”
If I had to reflect on my high’s of January 2016, I’d simply say “Friends.” As I mentioned before, my vision for the year is to #GrowWell. This also includes my friendships.
I’d say I’m quite the ambitious person.
I have a full time job, and I manage two passion businesses, Temple Fit (wellness + business empowerment) and AB Creations (inspirational writing + speaking). I am also a leader in my church, a community volunteer, and a dedicated very involved mentor to a number of young adults and college students.
Balancing all of this and more makes for a very busy schedule— a schedule that sometimes does not include being the best friend.
While I know my true friends understand my absence from important functions, my three-day delay between text messages, and my virtually non-existent phone calls, it doesn’t make it right. I’m reminded of Proverbs 18:24, “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” No matter how busy I am, how driven I am, or how focused I am— I don’t want to be responsible for someone’s ruin, because I am an unreliable friend.
God placed our friends in our lives for a reason. To some, we are their prayer warrior: we intercede to God on their behalf, and and we advocate for them on a spiritual level. To some, we are their architect: our encouragement builds them up, and our social therapy keeps them standing. To some, we are their blacksmith: iron sharpens iron, and though we may go through the fire, we come out in better shape than when we went in.
So how can you be a reliable friend this month and the rest of the year? I challenge you to show your friends some love as we enjoy the remainder of this love month. Make a list of ways you can #GrowWell in your friendships and your relationships overall. Start with this prompt: “How can I overcome my busy schedule and be a better friend this year?” Share your list with us on Instagram, so we can #GrowWell together!
Dr. Asha—speaker, educator, published author, and radio host—is aptly known as the Creator of Healthy Conversations. Her life purpose is to teach the busy and overwhelmed how to live life abundantly. She is an educational consultant and owner of the Temple Fit Company, LLC, and she is the director of Temple Fit Health, Inc. faith-based wellness nonprofit organization. Grab one of Dr. Asha’s recent books and book her for your upcoming program.