Joyful Friendship

Joyful Friendship

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!

We looked ridiculous. Ignoring good sense and a blizzard warning, my two friends and I had chosen to leave our husbands and collective children at home to go shopping at the Mall of America. Worse, we’d decided to leave our coats in the car so we wouldn’t have to lug them along with us as we tromped through the mall.

Now, hours later, we faced the consequences as we awkwardly ran through the parking lot in subzero weather. One friend ran in front of me, the twelve-month-old footie pajamas she’d bought for her son flung around her neck like a scarf. Behind me, our other friend looked positively mummified by the way she’d stuck her arms backward through her five-year-old son’s sweatshirt, yet she managed to smile even as her teeth chattered. Meanwhile, I was simultaneously using a new shirt as a scarf and chiding myself for wearing impractical boots on a day filled with ominous weather warnings.

But despite the cold and our silly appearance, all I could feel was joy. Laughing in great whoops that stole my breath, freezing my lungs from the inside out, I couldn’t help but be grateful for the crazy loons whooping it up alongside me.

Friendship helps us in the valleys of life when hardships come, but it also makes the sweet moments of life that much sweeter. Paul reminds us in Philippians to rejoice and be full of joy. A cheerful heart really does make good medicine: laughter can reduce our stress and releases endorphins in the body. And who better to rejoice with than people who can see the humor and value of not taking themselves too seriously?

The two women I ran through the parking lot with have walked with me through parenting challenges, work hardships, and relationship struggles. They’ve seen me when my eyes are streaked with tears, but also when they are crinkled with laughter. My friends encourage me when I struggle and rejoice when I’m glad. A friendship established during the peaceful seasons of life can provide a bulwark later on, when troubles arise.

Let’s be thankful for friendships that last through the good and the bad.

— Kristin

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Share a joke or two with a friend.