Dear Ones,
Happy weekend to you! We started the day with rain and everything is so fresh again. This morning I did food prep and made choc covered raspberries, and blueberry crisp, and got out our Fall decorations. Al joined other men here at Northern Lakes in Fantasy Football and is no#1 right now!!Emoji Of course it may not last. Emoji
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Loneliness is on the rise in our culture and there are many that say they have no close friends. Zero! Without close ties with others, it has an effect on our physical and emotional health and leads to feelings of isolation and depression. We have need to be connected with others like family, those we work with, others in our community and church etc. Since many are working remotely now due to COVID 19, so many are left feeling even more lonely.
Some say they are connected because of social media and refer to others as close friends; and yet if you question them farther, you find out they have never met the so-called friends, or had a face-to-face conversation with them.  They may share same views, play games online, be of the same political party etc. but that is mostly just mental togetherness. Such relationships seem to exist only in the imagination rather than in reality.  There are others that are bound together by a common hatred of other groups or movements and they feel joined by things or people they detest. That is not friendship!
Friendship is when we can hug one another, share memories, play games and sports together, worship together and tell one another our stories. 
Jesus was God and He was also human like us and had friendships; he had 12 who he invested his life into and 3 who were his closest companions. One speaker said that if we had one hand full of good friends, five, we would be very rich. They are ones that are honest with us and love us for who we really are. They give more than they take and forgive us when we fail. They believe in us and take time for us and let us know we are important in their lives. Such friends are beautiful gifts from above.
Of course, friendship with God is the most important one of all. Such friendship is deep and dependent on our trust in Him. Do we believe in Him enough to confide in Him and follow His will for our lives? We have Jesus words in John 15:12-13, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Jesus gave His all for us and what more could He give to let us know He loves us and wants to be the friend that sticks closer than a brother. We are never truly alone when we trust in Him.
Challenge for today: Spend time enjoying your friendship with the Lord and then do something special for a friend He has given you.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy