The Friends We Keep by Sarah Zacharias Davis

I have often wondered about the nature of friendships. What causes a friendship to begin? What causes it to fall apart? Why is it sometimes easy to find a friend and other times so difficult? Is there anything I can do to create a friendship when I so desperately seem to need one? If not, how do I move through life without that support?

Author Sarah Zacharias Davis has asked similar questions regarding the nature and composition of friendship. Her discoveries, based on exploration, research, and interviews, have come together in The Friends We Keep: A Woman's Quest for the Soul of Friendship.

Images of friendship fill our culture through literature, movies and television, and real-life circumstances. Davis draws heavily on all of these sources to explore types of friends, the chemistry of friendships, the struggles of friendships, and the joys of friendships.

As I read The Friends We Keep, my mind was opened to many of my own characteristics as a friend to others. I looked in the mirror of my nature as a friend, seeing so many areas in which I need to grow and learn. Reading the stories and experiences of others brought back many memories of my own friendships through the years, sometimes bringing a smile and other times tears.

One thing I struggled with while reading this book was the heavy dependence on popular culture and the limited dependence on a Scriptural basis for friendship. The Bible is full of advice on how to be a friend, how to choose a friend, and how to conduct a friendship. There are a plethora of examples of friendship throughout Scripture, both good and bad.

Davis, however, only occasionally dipped into the beautiful Word of God. Instead she relied on examples from literature, interviews, and popular culture, including not-so-godly television shows and movies. As we struggle to be the type of friends God has called us to be, would it not behoove us to draw more from His standard than from the world's?

If you are looking for a book to give you the how-to on making and keeping friends, this book is not the answer. But, if you are interested in a book that takes you through the chemistry and make-up of friendships among women in our western culture, this is a good read.

I am giving away a copy of The Friends We Keep! If you are interested in participating in the giveaway, leave a comment about friendship between now and midnight CST, Sunday, Aug 23. Click here to learn more about The Friends We Keep and author Sarah Zacharias Davis.

Also, click on the image of this Bible study resource to learn more about these short, topical studies from Kay Arthur and the Precept Ministries staff. Here is what is being said about these studies:

The 40 Minute Bible Study series from beloved Bible teacher Kay Arthur and the teaching staff of Precept Ministries tackles important issues in brief, easy-to-grasp lessons you can use personally or for small-group discussion. Each book in the series includes six 40-minute studies designed to draw you into God’s Word through basic inductive Bible study. There are 16 titles in the series, with topics ranging from fasting and forgiveness to prayer and worship. With no homework required, everyone in the group can work through the lesson together at the same time. Let these respected Bible teachers lead you in a study that will transform your thinking—and your life.

I have Living Victoriously in Difficult Times in hand and hope to work through it soon and share it with you.