The Lord encourages us to delight in one another through fellowship and friendships.

Other sisters can bring blessings to our lives as well as accountability in our faith walk. But what happens to those who have a hard time with seeking friends or stepping outside of introversion to seek deeper relationships?

It’s hard sometimes. Some of us suffer from loneliness, seeking deep bonds and entwined hearts. We seek sisterhood that lasts a lifetime and points to eternity.

Sometimes there are those who seek a way out of co-dependent relationships that lack a unity of hearts, thoughts and ideologies. They hope to be of one accord, but find frustrations or envy in a one-sided ideal that begs to be broken.

Then we find another group of people who lean towards the jealous side. Close friendships, matching shoes and pop-up family dinner dates are the items on the menu for the week. Laughter, tears and inside jokes follow on their coiled life paths that make a newcomer uncomfortable or unwelcomed. A clique that we all long for yet we can’t get a foot in the door may look appetizing, but hold out a high allergen alert to those who may not belong.

We now find the rest of us.

Our aching hearts long to be part of something and to belong, but we just can’t get in. We don’t want our children in matching outfits or depend on so-and-so to pick out our paint colors, but we long to feel connected.

Sometimes we forget to be mindful that we can be the ones to make a difference. We can start a tidal wave that captures snap-shots of longings and tie them into fellowship. We may find that we lack the gift of hospitality, but other gifting may lead to open doors to others who are searching for the same thing.

We can delight in one another as the Lord delights in us.

I say of the holy people who are in the land,
    “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”

Psalm 16:3 NIV

Can you imagine if all of the lonely hearts stepped out their front gates.

A colorful world of sisterhood and cultivated bonds could blossom and bring much more color to the world.

I pray for the dear sisters out there longing for such things. I pray that someone reaches out to you or that you can be the one to reach another. We are not meant to do life alone.

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

Proverbs 27:17