Finding Friends

By Glenn Haggerty, guest blogger

One of the things parents struggle with is how to help their children find friends. Fiction can be a great way to introduce children and teens to the concepts like what being a friend means and how to go about finding friends. Guest blogger Glenn Haggerty provides some insights from his tween fiction book, Run.

In Run, 13-year-old Tyler demonstrated two friendship blockers. First, he thought he was so cool he could only hang out with the other “cool” kids. But how do people feel about other people who act like they’re too good for them (see Proverbs 29:23 and Galatians 3:26-28)?

To be a friend, Tyler needed to find his own humility. Humility is the opposite of pride. Romans 12:16 says, “Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people.” Have you ever gotten to know someone you had thought was unlikable or uninteresting and then discovered that he or she was different but fascinating? Is there such a person in your life whose friendship you could learn to enjoy this week?

Tyler’s second friendship blocker was trying too hard. Have you ever known someone who wanted to be with you all the time—I mean ALL the time? How did that make you feel? At first, Tyler obsessed over befriending the older and cooler Matt and made dumb choices. Read Philippians 4:6-9 and consider some ways you can treat such an obsession.

What Tyler should have done was respect other’s space and don’t be desperate. According to Philippians 4:11-13, believers can discover the secret of contentment and endure without friends for a time. What is that secret, and how does one find contentment? Contentment, once found, brings confidence which is attractive to others.

Jay Kessler used to say “If you want a friend, be a friend.” Rather than trying to get a friend like Tyler did in the novel, be a friend to those around you, in your church, youth group, school, team and other social activities. Take an interest in other people. Ask questions about their lives, be a good listener and you will never run out of things to talk about! On the other hand, don’t appear too desperate—that usually drives people away. Remember, you can’t please everybody so don’t try pushing yourself on people who aren’t interested.

Could you encourage your tween or teen to for someone, besides themselves, who needs a friend today? Could they be the friend that person needs?

To find out more about finding friends, forgiveness, handling bullies, selflessness and talking to God, visit Glenn’s site.

About Glenn Haggerty
Glenn has a Master of Divinity degree from Bethel Seminary. He is an award-winning author who combines his love for teaching God’s word with his passion for writing exciting fiction. He also recently published the Companion Bible Study for Run, Finding Friends and Handling Bullies. In addition to the action adventure novel, Run (Intense Book 2), he has published two additional books in his Intense series, Escape (Book 1) and Chase (Book 3). Eight of his short stories have appeared in six magazines, including Cadet Quest, Partners, Splickety, and Havok. You can visit Glenn on his website at www.glennhaggerty.com.