Write letters.
Emails are a great way to keep in touch, but hand-written letters are very personal and thoughtful. People just love receiving them. Tell your friend about your day, something funny that happened, something cool you did, something that made you happy, something that made you sad or angry or frustrated. Ask your friend “what’s up”. Cute stationary completes this idea.
Invite them over.
Even if they can only stay the day, invite your friends over to your house to just hang out. You can bake cookies, play a board game, or grab your brother’s toy guns and pelt each other with marshmallows (bonus points: eat them!). Stay tuned for an article listing tons of stuff to do with your friends.
Tell them the strengths you see in them.
Sometimes we joke about something bizarre that a friend did, but don’t go too far. Trust me, it hurts when every other thing that comes out of your friend’s mouth is an insult. While it’s fun to joke, don’t forget to mention the cool things about your friends, the ones that make them glamorous, the ones that make them smile.
Irresistible.
Did someone say “cookies”? Show your friend how sweet you are by baking cookies for her. Even better, invite her over to bake cookies, brownies, or some other little treat together. (When my friends come over, we put as much brownie mix into our mouths as we put into the oven.)
Keep promises.
Be a trustworthy friend. Don’t tell your friend’s secrets, and remember to keep your promises. If you said you’d do something, do it. If you know your friend is asking you to do something you can’t commit to, don’t do it. Telling the truth, saying that you can’t promise that, is better than lying and hurting your friend’s feelings later.
Pray for them.
Prayer is our most powerful tool. You might not know if your friend is suffering or not, but even so, pray for her every night, even when things seem ok. Another great tip: every time a thought pops into your head about that person, say a quick prayer for him/her. Sometimes those thoughts are God telling us we need to pray.
Encourage them with Bible verses.
The Bible is filled with solid truth. What better way to comfort and encourage your friends than with truth? Sometimes this can be the best medicine.
Forgive them.
You know what I’m talking about. Grudges quickly turn into hatred if you hold onto them. Don’t fight over simple, silly, or stupid things, and be open-minded about the big ones. You’ll probably fight with your friend at least once in your life, but let it go. Get over it. If you’re having a hard time forgiving your friend, pray. Ask God for help. Oh, and listen to Barlow Girl’s song “Sweet Revenge” on their hit album “How Can We Be Silent?”.
Open up to them.
Tell them your thoughts, fears, dreams. Tell them about your week. Let your friends open up to you in return.
Listen.
If you listen to your friends, they’ll listen to you. Show your friend that you care about her by not interrupting and by paying attention when she’s talking to you.
It might be difficult, but you can print this out so you can remember. If you make your friends feel special, they’ll give you the same treatment.
I love these tips, how do you come up with all of these? =)
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