My five year old granddaughter's circle of friends are always saying "she's not my best friend anymore." And this is really traumatizing to them. I got to thinking that about best friends. And I realized that the word "best" means one. That none other can compare or come close to being that one best. Only I can't say I have only one best friend. I have many best friends. And so a prompt came from that idea.
For a new journal you can divide it into a timeline of recording your many best friends.
In grade school you have many best friends. You may have "Sally" as your best friend on Monday and on Tuesday you have "Trisha" then on Wednesday "Penny" is your best friend. Well, Sally starts being best friends with Trisha and Penny wants to play with "Linda" so you don't have a best friend on Thursday. And so on and so on. Write about the many best friends you had in grade school. Each year you move up a grade and each year you have a one best friend in that grade. Do you remember your friends from grade school? Write of some of the fond memories you have playing with them. Are you still friends with anyone from those early school years? If you haven't corresponded with some of them for long periods of time, send a card and let them know you were reminiscing and wanted to say hello.
In Junior High having more than one friend can be a little dramatic at times. Each person wants to be accepted by one special best friend and if that person shows an interest in making new friends you may get upset. Junior High and adolescence is a rough time for friendships. Did you have a friendship that was unbreakable? Or did you have a friendship during that period that "someone or something" came between you? Is that relationship still estranged? Pray about it and if it was meant to be reunited the Lord will provide the path to renewing your friendship. Write about what may have caused your bond to be broken. If you are still friends with your Junior High friend write about what makes it still a special bond.
High School is a time of busyness. You have a lot of friends doing many different things. Write about your friendships during these grades. Write of the things you did that made it a special time. Were there times that being friends with someone may have caused you distress? Did you ever experience situations where your "best" friend did not actually consider you her best friend? Were you in a circle of friends that if one was mad at someone or did not like what someone was wearing you could not talk to that person who she is mad at or you couldn't talk to the person wearing the wrong clothes? Do you have a long lasting friendship that was established in High School? Write about these many best friends in High School.
Write about the many best friends you have had that may no longer be in your life. Write about those reasons why they haven't been a part of your life any longer. People come and go and some stay. Write about those people who were important at one time but for whatever reason are no longer on your list of people who are your best friends.
There are other types of best friends you can journal about:
Best friends at church
Best friends at work
Best friends in the neighborhood
Best friends from online groups
Did or do you have pen pal friends? Have you have an opportunity to meet that person? Write about your experience meeting your pen pal. Or have you met anyone that is an online friend? Record that meeting.
Did you go to church camps when you were younger? Write about those friendships.
Did you stay with a relative in another town or state during the summer months and strike up a friendship there? Write about those summer friendships.
Did you have friendships that were not accepted by the popular crowd in school? Write how these friendships effected your life.
Best friends can also be relatives. Do you have a cousin who is your best friend? Or is your sister or brother your best friend? Is your husband your best friend? Write about these different best friends in your life and how important they are to you.
Now, there is someone who wants to be your best friend. He is Jesus Christ. Look up verses about friends found in the Bible. Write about the ways Jesus IS your best friend. Write about the ways you need to be able to honestly say I am a friend to Jesus Christ.
Search the different friendships found in the Bible. Write about failed relationships in the Bible. Write about the characteristics of being a friend as mentioned throughout the Bible.
If you could have been friends with anyone in the Bible who would you call friend?
Does anyone call you her/his best friend? Are you a good best friend? What makes you others would want to have a friendship with? Could you be a better best friend?
What are the different things you have learned from your many best friends?
Do you correspond with your friends on the phone? on the Internet? Via snailmail? Write about the different ways you keep your friendships alive.
Find poems about friends. Search blogs that are you haven't read and can make the blogger your new friend. Join online groups and make new friends in the virtual world that can very well turn into a real life friendship.
And very important: pray for your past friends, your current friends, and your friends you have yet to meet.
May you know how blessed you are to have many best friends.
