What if you were known for how great you are at loving people? Great friendships are possible for anyone, but the most meaningful friendships are built and maintained with time and commitment. It's easy to put time into our families, our kids, our careers and our hobbies, but do we put as much energy into our friendships? Here are 7 ways to help strengthen our friendships.

• Pray for them: There is so much power in prayer. If you have a friend that is going through a hard time, pray for them. If a friend has a big job interview, or a tough conversation coming up with a child or spouse – say a prayer for them. Let them know you're praying for them and asking them about any specific prayer requests they may have.
• Read the same book together and talk about it: Life often takes friendships down different paths and to different places. We've found that one of the greatest ways to stay connected with those friend is to read the same book or devotional and find time to chat about it. Learning is rewarding, but it is even better with a friend.
• Take time: With all the things we juggle in our lives, it can be hard to carve out some quality time for our friends. Weeks and months can pass without seeing each other. We want to encourage you to set a goal to take time every month to connect with a friendship that you value. It could be a 20 minute coffee date, a couple hour dinner date, or even a weekend trip. It's not necessarily about the quantity, but the quality.
• Send thoughtful texts: Remember the big days and show support during the difficult days. Whatever moments matter to them are great moments to send a thoughtful text and just let them know you're thinking of them and you're grateful that they're in your life.
• Keep a tradition: Whether it's a restaurant, trip or activity, build on good memories by making them traditions special to your friendship and the times you've spent together. It'll be a great way to reflect on past memories and continue to make new ones.
• Compliment them: True friends lift us up, support us, and encourage us to be the best version of ourselves. A genuine, unexpected compliment is a simple, but meaningful way to do all 3.
• Find a way to go out of your way: Do something unexpectedly awesome. This could mean showing up to help your friend move into their new home, it could be bringing them soup when they're sick. Come up with your most thoughtful and creative way to go out of your way, and go make memories!

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