If you were ever a Brownie or Girl Scout you undoubtedly know how to sing a song in rounds. No campfire or car ride to the mall to sell cookies was ever complete without a song – and this one is a classic:
“Make new friends,
But keep the old,
One is silver and the other gold”
What’s really neat about that song is the profound truth it conveys in such simple terms. While “old friends” hold a valued and historical place in the pattern of our lives, equally important are “new friends” who expand the circle of our lives and keep us growing.
I recently had the joy of connecting with a new friend, Cherie Burbach, a talented writer who specializes in helping people gain new friendships and nurture established ones. In an interview with Cherie, she talked about her recent blog post, More Friends Who Are Good For Us, http://cherieburbach.com/ and the way, “Wanting more friends means you have a desire for connection and, while the friends you’re with now might be great, they may not always be there for you in the way you’d like. One thing is sure, change is constant and our attitudes and likes evolve with the years. Wanting to find more friends for a variety of reasons is very common…” Her book, 100 Simple Ways To Have More Friends, is a treasure trove of friendship wisdom filled with useful tips for making new friends. http://amzn.to/1JqVYqL
Right on Cherie! In a presentation I give titled, “Old Pots-New Pots” I share three reasons why embracing change and developing new friendships is so important.
- Choose to remain in the comfort zone of a season gone-by, with only old friends to commiserate with, and you risk becoming a dull “has been.” Worse, by hanging on when you should be letting go you become a hindrance to those God has equipped to share fresh, new ideas that will enable others to bloom and grow.
- Allow others to ignore, diminish or sabotage your need to grow by trying to keep you confined to the same old pot where they originally came to know you, and you risk becoming so root bound that eventually you seek change by any means – often in unhealthy ways.
- Stay put in a pot where toxic people regularly come to water you with their poison, and you risk developing root rot that will kill your spirit and make you as bitter and miserable as they are. www.PennyLHunt.com
You don’t have to keep living that way! That’s what the enemy of your soul, Satan, would like you to believe. But Jesus has something far better in mind. He has said, “A thief (Satan) comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” John 10:10
What are you waiting for? Get on out there and begin enjoying an abundance of new friends today!
