{"id":3438,"date":"2013-03-04T07:28:16","date_gmt":"2013-03-04T12:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=3438"},"modified":"2013-03-05T07:39:44","modified_gmt":"2013-03-05T12:39:44","slug":"the-dos-of-friendship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2013\/03\/the-dos-of-friendship.html","title":{"rendered":"The Do’s of Friendship"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"smile<\/a>Since there are three levels of friendship\u2013causal, close and committed\u2013it should be our goal to move as many friendships as humanly possible from a causal to a committed friendship. There is means that there are at least 10 things that each of us can and should do in nurturing a friendship grow.<\/p>\n

\"building1. \u00a0Recognize you need friends. \u00a0It\u2019s the first step that leads to better and more secure friendships.<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Look for others in need of a friend. \u00a0This may mean reaching out to people whom you might otherwise pass over.
\nAsk God to bring a faithful friend into your life.<\/p>\n

3. \u00a0Be approachable by smiling at others. \u00a0At times, I\u2019ve been to that I look stern when I\u2019m not aware of my expression. \u00a0This means to me that I must be more aware and adjust my facial expression.<\/p>\n

4. \u00a0Speak to others by name. \u00a0Learn names and say the name often.
\n\"friendship\"<\/a><\/p>\n

5. \u00a0Listen attentively to others.<\/p>\n

6. \u00a0Look at the face of the speaker and keep your eyes on the face of the person speaking.<\/p>\n

7. \u00a0Give genuine compliments and encouragement. \u00a0Get caught noticing the good things in a person.<\/p>\n

8. \u00a0Ask open-ended question. \u00a0Is your daughter feeling better? \u00a0How is the job?<\/p>\n

9. \u00a0Help others verbalize their feelings. \u00a0You don\u2019t seem quite yourself today, are you feeling all right?<\/p>\n

10. \u00a0Look for the kernel of truth in your friends\u2019 criticism.<\/p>\n

I’ve learned a great deal about friendship living within the mentally challenged community. \u00a0In general, these are people who give of themselves without reserve. \u00a0With the slightest encouragement, you become their friend for life. \u00a0Yet, shifting on the other foot, they find interacting with their peer may be more difficult. \u00a0Within Special Gathering, which is a ministry within the mentally challenged community, we endeavor to help our members establish valued and long-lasting friendship with their peers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since there are three levels of friendship\u2013causal, close and committed\u2013it should be our goal to move as many friendships as humanly possible from a causal to a committed friendship. There is means that there are at least 10 things that each of us can and should do in nurturing a friendship grow. 1. \u00a0Recognize you…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[690,21,688,696,7,699,660,720,659,715,701,694,689,6,700,655],"class_list":["post-3438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-autism-spectrum","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-church","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-faith","tag-friend-of-god","tag-friendship","tag-friendship-with-god","tag-hope","tag-inspiration","tag-intellectual-disability","tag-mentally-challenged-community","tag-simple-scriptural-truths","tag-spirituality","tag-three-levels-of-friendship"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Do's of Friendship - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Do's of Friendship - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Since there are three levels of friendship\u2013causal, close and committed\u2013it should be our goal to move as many friendships as humanly possible from a causal to a committed friendship. There is means that there are at least 10 things that each of us can and should do in nurturing a friendship grow. 1. \u00a0Recognize you…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2013\/03\/the-dos-of-friendship.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-03-04T12:28:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-03-05T12:39:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/specialgathering.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/03\/smile-of-friendship.jpg?w=176&h=140\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda G. Howard\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Do's of Friendship - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"nofollow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Do's of Friendship - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith","og_description":"Since there are three levels of friendship\u2013causal, close and committed\u2013it should be our goal to move as many friendships as humanly possible from a causal to a committed friendship. 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