Public health journals are filled with studies demonstrating the importance of friendships for a person's well-being. A recent survey (The American Perspectives Survey) finds that Americans report having fewer close friendships than they once did, talking to their friends less often, and relying less on their friends for personal support. It's one thing for us to imagine why that is; it's something else for us to value friendship for what it is: a gift from God. Who gives the gift of friendship to you? To whom are you giving the gift of friendship? This weekend we begin a three-week series on friendship. Each week we'll ask the Spirit to teach us through biblical models of friendship and determine how we might put what we learn into effect in our lives. This week: You need a friend when you're depressed.
