First to Be Friendly

Bible Reading: Romans 5:6-8; 12:10-18

“Why did we have to move here, Mom?” Paige complained. “I’m so lonely! All the kids here already have friends.”

“That doesn’t mean they can’t be friends with you too,” said Mom.

“Oh, Mom! You just don’t understand.”

“I do understand, Paige. I’m having trouble making friends too.” Mom sighed. “Perhaps the problem is that we’re not doing what we want others to do—we’re not being friendly. Let’s try an experiment. Let’s put the Golden Rule into practice. Do you remember how that verse goes?”

Paige nodded. “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.”

“That verse teaches us how to show God’s love to others,” Mom replied. “Because we’re newcomers, we think others should make us feel welcome, but let’s not think that way anymore. Since we know Jesus and have His love in our hearts, why shouldn’t we be the ones to reach out? Let’s go out of our way to be friendly to others.” Paige looked doubtful but agreed to give it a try.

When she came home from school the next day, Paige was smiling. “I loaned a pencil to the girl who sits next to me, then at recess she asked me to play with her on the monkey bars.”

“Great!” said Mom. “And I saw Mrs. Wheeler raking leaves next door, so I offered to help. When we finished, she invited me in for coffee.”

Paige and her mother continued their efforts to be friendly. Soon Mom agreed to help with school activities and Paige joined a kids’ choir. They also made an effort to invite someone to their home at least once a week.

“People here aren’t like we thought they were when we first came,” Paige remarked several weeks later. “They’ve changed.”

“Did they change—or did we?” asked Mom.

Paige thought about it. “I guess we did—and that helped them change too.”

“By being the first to show others kindness, we changed many people’s attitudes toward us,” Mom said. “Jesus did the same thing when He came to earth and died to save us. We were undeserving sinners, but He wanted us to be His friends.”

“His love changed us,” said Paige. “We became His friends—and now we have friends here too!” • Barbara J. Westberg

How About You?

Are you lonely? Do you need friends? Instead of waiting for others to reach out and include you, make a point to be friendly yourself. If you know Jesus, you have His love in your heart. Show that love to others by reaching out to them in friendship. When you show kindness to someone before they’ve shown it to you, you’re being the best kind of friend you can be—a friend like Jesus.

Today’s Key Verse:
Matthew 7:12 Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.(NLT)

Today’s Key Thought:

Reach out in friendship