Grown Up Girlfriends

I am reading a book on friendship with a group of ladies at my church.  The name of the book is  Grown-Up Girlfriends- Finding and Keeping Real Friends in the Real World by Erin Smalley and Carrie Oliver.  If you have talked with me in the past two weeks I am sure I have brought this book up in conversation.  It has really got me thinking about my friendships- both old and new.   I have already learned and processed through so much and have only read the first two chapters.  Let me share with you what has impacted me the most so far.  First the authors explain why women need friendships both from a spiritual perspective and a physical perspective.

“In Genesis, God explained Adam’s role in terms of his work but described Eve’s in terms of her relationships.” 

“My search of Scripture made clear that while both men and women are made in God’s relational image, women crave relationships innately and are driven to be in relationships in a way most men do not fully understand.”

“Research from Harvard Medical School reported that the more friends women had, the less likely they were to develop physical impairments as they aged and the more likely they were to be leading a joyful life.  In fact, the results were so significant that the researchers concluded that not having close friends or confidants was as detrimental to a woman’s health as smoking or carrying extra weight.”

So what is a grown-up girlfriend you ask?

“A grown-up girlfriend is someone who encourages us in our pursuit to “grow up into him”, in fact, she desires to become like Christ too.  God uses grown-up friendships to complete His purposes in us.”

I have never thought of my friendships with women this way.  I guess friendships can be so immature and marked by insecurity when we are younger but can be so much more once we mature both physically and spiritually.   Here is one more quote that I loved,

“God uses people in our lives to sharpen us and further His refining process in us.  Friendships are about fun and laughter and endearment.  Yet the richest friendships go deeper than these experiences to deep trust, intimacy, and safety.  Inevitably they produce growth on both sides and are characterized by a sense of purpose.” 

Ok- I will stop with the quotes before I copy the entire book on my blog.  As you can see, I highly recommend this book for all women.  I will share more thoughts as I continue reading.