Of friends and friendships....!!!

So what is a friend, I’m sure we all have varying definitions and understanding of this word, but a saying goes..”you are the average of the five people you spend most of your time with”, so whichever way you look at it a friend is a very important influence in one’s life. Friends can be there for a season and move on and some friends are for life, I have been very fortunate in my adult life to have made lasting friendships because as a child I did not see myself as a very friendly or friend-worthy person. Now why am I talking about friend today, well it is because this past week I have had such a tremendous experience with friends that I was left with a glow. I learnt that friends can be people who are close to you, people you see every day but never thought they could be your friend. So when I heard this saying of you being the average of the five people you spend most of your time with, I got worried, no offence to my friends because I don’t really spend that much time with them anyway. I came to the conclusion that I do not like what I see and certainly do not want to end where I could foresee myself going with my current set-up. So I decided to be very intentional about how I interact with the people around me most of my day that meant I become intentional about my relationships, and that I work on being a good influence and for the people who influence to be positive influences as well. So in the midst of all that just out of the blue so to say, I got am email from a friend whom I last communicated with some years back, she is younger than me but is definitely wiser and very insightful, and I also got in touch with one of my ex-students from about 10years back, now we have been in touch on and off but it has not been much of a friendship. And to top it all up, I also got connected to another young lady I sometimes take the bus with, I have known her from a distance for about a year now, and when I got on the bus and went to sit with her things just happened, if I may put it that way. All these three young people brought a certain flavour and richness into my life, and opened my eyes to see things in a different way that I had gotten used to. And to top it up a very good friend of mine from high school I happen to work with started challenging me in areas where I needed the push. That was really a prayer answered for me because I had been praying for God to connect me with people who are think like I do, people who would understand my dreams, my weaknesses and so forth, and people I can do the same for. And all these people were right there, it wasn’t new people or something, but God used the very people I had already in my circle t show me that things are not always the way they seem. So I challenge you out there where do you want to go next, are the people you are spending your time with helping you or pulling you down, and what are you going to do about it. Only you can answer that question. HERE’S TO RICH AND FULFILLING FRIENDSHIPS…!!!