Family & Friends
In addition to Agape, we also have the gift of “Storge” (STOR-jay), Greek for familial love. (Quarrels happen, but we have each other’s back, right?)
God has also given us “Philia” (FILL-ee-uh), the bond seen in friendships.
“A friend is one that knows you as you are,
understands where you have been,
accepts what you have become,
and still, gently allows you to grow.”
William Shakespeare
Friendship multiplies the good of life and divides the evil.
Baltasar Gracian
You are better off to have a friend than to be all alone,
because then you will get more enjoyment out of what you earn.
If you fall, your friend can help you up.
But if you fall without having a friend nearby, you are really in trouble.
If you sleep alone, you won’t have anyone to keep you warm on a cold night. Someone might be able to beat up one of you, but not both of you.
As the saying goes, “A rope made from three strands of cord is hard to break.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Friends… they cherish one another’s hopes.
They are kind to one another’s dreams.
Henry David Thoreau
Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.
1 John 4:7 New Living Translation (NLT)
True friends do not value you for what you can do for them —
they simply value you.
A true friend loves regardless of the situation,
and a real brother exists to share the tough times.
Proverbs 17:16-18 The Voice (VOICE)
God bless the friend who sees my needs and reaches out a hand.
Who lifts me up, prays for me, and helps me understand.
Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy,
for good friends are like the anointing oil
that yields the fragrant incense of God’s presence.
Proverbs 27:9 The Passion Translation (TPT)
Blessed are they who have the gift of making friends,
for it is one of God’s best gifts.
It involves many things, but above all,
the power of going out of one’s self,
and appreciating whatever is noble and loving in another.
Thomas Hughes
A friend is one of the nicest things you can have,
and one of the best things you can be.
Douglas Pagels
Thank God for friends!
And we’re not done celebrating quite done yet…