God's Glory Church

“But for whom do I care and deprive my soul of good?” — Ecclesiastes 4:8

In today’s world, more and more people feel lonely. Since 1990, the number of friendless Americans has quadrupled. In some European countries, the percentage of those who feel lonely has increased to 20, and in Japan, elderly people even resorted to committing crimes in order to have friends at least in prison.

To overcome the epidemic of loneliness, entrepreneurs invented a “solution” – renting a friend. A friend “rented” for an hour will meet you in a cafe to chat or accompany you to a party. One of such “friends” was asked who mostly orders such a service. “Single professionals from 30 to 40 years old who work a lot and don’t have time for friendly relations,” he answered.

In the 4th chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes, a person is described who is completely alone, without “son or brother”. And “there is no end” to her tireless work, however, the achieved success does not bring satisfaction (v. 8). “But for whom do I care?” she asks. It is much better to invest in relationships that will lighten the workload and provide support during times of difficulty (vv. 9-12). Because, after all, success without friendship is “vanity” (v. 8).

Ecclesiastes says that “the triple thread is not soon broken” (v. 12). However, it does not weave quickly. Since you don’t rent true friends, let’s invest time in developing friendships in which God is the third thread that holds us together.

How do you invest time in your friendships and make efforts to develop them? Who can you invite to your circle of friends?

Heavenly Father, help me to be a kind and faithful friend to others.

Author: Sheridan Voysey