Cheers – where everybody knows your name. I never actually watched the television show, Cheers, but it’s still a cultural reference point for so many. It’s the bar, the coffee shop, the water cooler, the church lobby—where people know you and notice when you’re not around.
Where is your Cheers? You might have to buy coffee a couple days a week for a year or two, but eventually, it pays off relationally.
Mine is a coffee shop. I know the baristas by name and one just asked me to officiate their wedding. What an honor! What validation that my “Cheers” place is working.
Birthday parties – where you invite the inner circle. Whether it’s your birthday, your boyfriend’s, your kid’s… it’s important to celebrate together.
We just had some friends over for my daughter’s one-year-birthday. She can’t talk or send out her own invitations, so we invited our life group. I looked around the backyard and I was more grateful than ever for those friends. They are a huge part of the support system. They are dependable, and they are fun. We’ve logged a lot of time with those friends, and as long as we all live in the same area, we’ll stay committed to being together.
Who are your birthday party friends? If you don’t have any, you might have to ask yourself some hard questions about how good of friend YOU are.
And if you need to be a better friend, try this: host a party for someone else. Make it about them. And invest in the guests while they’re there. Pray that something would spark and follow up without being weird.
People who take good care of their friends have more friends than they can handle.
For me, having a “Cheers” place and “birthday party friends” is critical. God wired us for relationship. Emotional health and spiritual health are forever connected. I’m trying to nourish my heart and soul by investing in a place and the people. I’ve found it’s better this way.