The Pleasantness of a Friend

“The Pleasantness of a Friend” by Dr. Rich Rudowske 

From The Concordian, August 2023 edition
“Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.”  Proverbs 27:9 

The Proverbs are interesting. Some of them are advice for life and call for us to change. Others, like this one, are just observations of how life works and what is good or not good. 

The Lord is so good to place human beings in community with each other. What a gift to share life together, to reflect on the wisdom God gives us to share, to sharpen one another, and to spur each other on to doing what is right!  

The Surgeon General of the United States recently issued a statement that the biggest epidemic growing right now in our nation is loneliness and its impact is more devastating than a 15 cigarette per day habit on life expectancy. 

The Lord created us to be in relationships. Our pandemic influenced culture of self-pick up at restaurants, pay at the pump, abundant zoom meetings and screen time distractions has set us up to reap the results we are now seeing. Deep loneliness.  

How could you take a first step to invite friendship and show real, personal hospitality? Who can you lean it with to grow closer and share life together?  

Lord, give us wisdom to be a pleasant and true friend May we invest in and receive heartfelt advice and grow deeper connected to you and to the people you place in our lives. Amen.