Be a Friend to Make a Friend June 29th, 2012 by kmattiuzzo

Sometimes there are seasons of life characterized by fun things to look forward to and fun people to do them with. Other times there are seasons in your life that are a little lonely. It’s in those lonely times that I often find myself praying for more friends.
There’s no way around it — girls are social creatures and we love relationships. A major tragedy in life is when something funny happens and you have no one to share it with. There’s nothing like fumbling through a text message to your best friend while wiping away tears of laughter after having witnessed someone tripping up the stairs (disclaimer: falling down the stairs isn’t funny because that could lead to really serious bodily and emotional injury…but falling up is hysterical and usually recoverable).
There’s also nothing like having a friend there for you when you’re sad. Life has its ups and downs and we need to be there for each other.
What can you do when you want more friends?
Look at the potential new friends you already in your life. Are there “acquaintances” you’d like to get to know better? Are there friends you’ve lost touch with? Start there. If you’d like to get to know an acquaintance better and you’re not comfortable just telling her you’d like to hang out some time, do little things like compliment her outfit, sit by her in class so you can help each other with assignments (of course I mean when applicable … don’t start your friendship off by cheating!), become Facebook friends. If it’s a friend you’ve lost touch with, Facebook her and tell her you’ve missed her and should get together soon. Suggest a day and time so something actually gets planned.
Identify girls you’d like to become friends with. Is there a particular group of girls that have the characteristics of people you’d want to have as friends? If you know one of them already, try casually saying something like, “Hey, if you guys are ever hanging out keep me in mind. I’d love to get to know you guys,”or “You guys seem to have a lot of fun together. Can I meet up with you at lunch sometime?” If you don’t know any of them yet, try having a bon fire or a movie night with a few girls you already know and invite the girls in the other group you’d like to know better. Join forces!
Be a friend to make a friend.
Be friendly. If you constantly walk around with a serious, focused look on your face people are going to assume you have things to do and are too busy or removed to start up a conversation. Make eye contact, smile, and say hi to the people you see while you’re walking down the hall. This shows confidence and openness.
Be helpful. Do you see someone that might be struggling with a homework assignment? Offer to help her at lunch or grab ice cream after school to work on the assignment. If you’re at a party or a dinner at a friend’s house, stay after to clean up. Going out of your way shows you care.
Be available. There’s nothing more frustrating than having a friend that doesn’t have time for you. Don’t fill your life up with so much stuff or allow yourself to be monopolized by one person or family member that you don’t have time to be a friend. If you see a girl that’s hurting, offer to meet her for coffee to talk. Be a leader by initiating. Be someone that takes people up on their offer to go do something — if you’re constantly saying no because you have something else going on they’ll eventually stop calling you.
Be respectful. Being a friend means being trustworthy, loyal, and considerate. All of these show your respect to your friends. Keep their confidences when they tell you something painful or challenging — stick up for them when they’re not around — put them first whenever you can.
Remember, when looking for friends look for girls that embody the characteristics of a friend and whose lives yield the behaviors of a friend you really want to spend your free time with.
This is from teengirls.agblogger.org