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By Peter C. Smith
Guest Columnist

Author’s note: This is a devotional by my niece, Emma Culver, recent LU grad in Health Promotion and summer intern at Farmville Presbyterian Church. I invited her to share her thoughts for this column today.

When I was younger, I had difficulty making good friends and dealt with loneliness, especially after my best friend abandoned me. During that time, God revealed Himself to me as my best friend and showed me what a true friend looks like by always being there for me, loving me no matter what I did, answering all my prayers, giving me peace, and filling me with so much joy that was unexplainable. Though I am not nearly as good of a friend as God, I have since realized the importance of being more intentional in relationships with friends, family, and others. Supporting each other is so important, and spending time with one another only adds more meaning and blessings to our lives.

Hebrews 10:24-25 says “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

Sometimes we can get so busy with our own lives that we neglect each other. In the craziness of life, we can often forget to check up on someone or meet up with that person we have been meaning to meet with. What if we made a point to encourage each other and check up on each other more often? What if we actually remember small details about other people and have intentional conversations instead of only “small talk?” What if we prayed for one another right then and there instead of saying we will later and then forgetting? Just changing these things in my life has made such a difference in the quality of my relationships with people.

Hebrews 13:1-2 says “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

We are told repeatedly in the Bible to love one another regardless of whether that person is a friend, stranger, or enemy. You never know what a difference one small act of kindness can make in someone else’s life. And looking past a small act, are we hospitable to others? Do we invite others into our lives? I have learned to be much more comfortable meeting new people and getting to know them, and I have made some amazing friendships because of that even in just the past couple years. Being the new person in the room can be difficult, so I challenge you to find that person and talk to them. Make them feel welcomed and loved by someone they have never met before. What a testimony to God’s love that is!

No one wants to go through the celebrations or struggles of life alone. Maybe you have felt like this before yourself. God shows us the beauty of remaining with each other through life.

REV. DR. PETER C. SMITH is the pastor of Farmville Presbyterian Church. He can be reached at pastorfpc@centurylink.net.