Best Galentine’s Day Ever: Celebrate the Bonds of Friendship
Here’s to the Best Galentine’s Day Ever: seize the opportunity to celebrate the bonds of friendship, woman to woman.
The world has come to associate February as the time to express love to the people in your life.
Valentine’s Day, February 14: The day to shower your spouse with reminders of your love.
Galentine’s Day, February 13: Not officially on most calendars, this has become the day to show your friends love. There are greeting cards, flower bouquets, luncheons and all out gal pal parties to celebrate friendship.
Malentine’s Day: We can’t leave the males out, so the men left behind while their significant others are with their gal friends can use it as a chance to do guy things with their buddies. Or bond with their children by babysitting.
And the children? They’ve got the regular February 14th Valentine’s Day. It’s still their day to give classmates cards like this and their teachers handmade gifts like these mason jar treats.
How Do Christian women celebrate Galentine’s Day?
Galentine’s Day or, for that matter, Valentine’s Day, is not a Christian holy day, or even an official holiday.
But God is interested in friendship and the Bible contains much wisdom on the art of relationships. Most important is the Golden Rule:
”
So in everything,
do to others what you would have them do to you,
for this sums up the Law and the Prophets
”
Matthew 7:12
Our parents taught us certain rules of friendship, which have their roots in God’s Word.
- Be friendly to everyone.
- Find friends in every age group.
- Be inclusive; don’t have just one friend.
- Loyalty to friends is very important.
- Don’t talk bad about your friends (or your enemies).
- Understand that no friend is perfect; accept and give apologies.
- Don’t take friends for granted; always be kind and considerate.
We find wonderful examples of women friendships in the Bible.
Naomi and Ruth had a friendship that spanned generations, survived death of loved ones, and went beyond backgrounds. They were not from the same country, which often meant their people could be enemies. Naomi’s loyalty to her people and her faith in God drew Ruth into a type of love and friendship she’d never known before.
Mary and her aunt Elizabeth also shared a friendship spanning generations. When Mary needed support and comfort, she turned to Elizabeth. It helped that God called both of them to special situations, which created a special bond between them. Common situations tend to draw us together. Three of my nieces share a special bond created from their inability to have children. Even though one of them went on to have two babies, they still have that bond of understanding that draws them together.
Woman to woman friendships are important.
As I look back over my life I can count many close friendships. Some have lasted through the years; others have slipped away. Every age in our lives, every move, every place we visit, brings new friends. Some you connect with quickly while other friendships grow slowly. I have one forever friend in my life now whom I had to practically court! I admired her from afar, while she barely knew I existed. Then a terrible accident happened in her family, and I made sure to be available to her at all times. Later I helped her with projects, like papering her bathroom and helping her design their new home. Our families went camping together, even though I’m not a happy camper. Then, when our friendship was firmly cemented, she was the one I called the day a crisis slammed my life. She came over, knelt beside my chair, and gave me her time until the initial shock wore off.
When a friendship is worth having, it’s worth giving your energy to attain and keep it.
However, as my mom taught me, some friendships aren’t meant to be, so accept it gracefully when that happens. No matter how much you admire someone and want them for a bestie, sometimes it won’t work out. My mom knew all about that, now that I think about it. She had many disappointments in life, not just with friendships. Yet after her death others still describe her as being a special lady. And the family she worked for as a teenager still count her as friend. As we do them. They are the people who brought Mom to the faith and the Church we still call home!
Other posts about Christian friendships:
Angry Women: Refuse Offense or Feeling Offended
I hope this Galentine’s Day is “only the best day ever” to celebrate the bonds of friendship in your life, for whichever reason those bonds came to be. Reach out. Connect. Share the love…
