Highlights from This Show:

• Lisa-Jo talks about friendship PTSD and how it affects our ability to make and maintain friendships.
• We talked about whether it was possible to invest in friendships in a culture where you can be unfriend someone with a swipe of your finger.  
• I reference the first time that I heard the term “FOMO” being here on the podcast with Jill Savage. (Now I hear the term everywhere.) 
• Lisa-Jo talks about how coveting what our neighbors have has exploded with the invention of the internet, when the whole world is now our neighbor. We can be perfectly content with our life, then open Instagram and start scrolling and we aren’t content anymore.
• Lisa-Jo and I laugh about how moms will actually dress up when getting together with other women, yet don’t usually put as much thought into how we dress for the men in our lives. We feel such pressure to maintain appearances for other women.
• Lisa-Jo gives the world’s definition of friendship, “What’s in it for me?”, as opposed to Jesus’ definition of friendship, “What’s in it for you?” Lisa-Jo and I also discuss how Jesus came to be our friend and how He pursues relationships with us.
• Lisa-Jo talks about why it’s important to pursue friendships with others. She also points out how we are hard-wired for relationships by God Himself. Relationships are actually beneficial for us, even if it is hard or we’ve struggled with friendship “failures” in the past.
• I shared with Lisa-Jo about how her story about her mom passing away when she was just a teenager really touched me as I read her book…especially since we had just lost my father-in-law over the summer. The power of friendships during crisis moments like these really touched both of us in our time of grieving.
• “It’s okay if it feels awkward…it is better to say the wrong thing than to say nothing.” — Lisa-Jo Baker
• Jesus is our Emmanuel and He demonstrates the gift of “presence” in our lives and how we need to show up and be present in the lives of others…especially when friends are going through hard times.
• Lisa-Jo talks about the story of the good Samaritan in Scripture and how Jesus was asked, “WHO is my neighbor?” He taught how to go and BE a good neighbor. He shifts the burden from “What’s in it for me?” to “What’s in it for you?”
• Lisa-Jo got very practical in the episode and shared some great tips for women who are ready to reach out and be a friend. She shared an acronym with us from the book: S.T.A.Y.S. {S= Shows up! T= Takes time! A= Assumes the best! Y= Asks “Why?” Friends ask good questions of each other & aren’t afraid of the answers. S= Stops comparing & Starts encouraging}
• I mention how I’ve struggled as a people pleaser for most of my life and how I have to fight the lie of the enemy that others don’t like me and may have possibly taken something I’ve said out of context. I share how I try to mediate on Philippians 4 and believe “what is true” of others and not what I “think” they might be thinking. The importance of prayer over situations like these is so important.
• Jeremiah 17:9
• Lisa-Jo shares a second acronym about the L.I.E.S. we tell ourselves. {L= “Left out” on purpose I = That we’re “invisible” E = That “everything” is about me  S = Skinny jeans friendships! Ha!}
• Lisa-Jo and I talk about how being a good friend to others starts with being a good friend to yourself. Lisa-Jo confesses how she realized that she was constantly speaking negatively to herself and how she’s had to learn to turn off the “devil static.”
• Lisa-Jo discusses how to handle a “friendship break-up.” She also reminds us that even Jesus Himself suffered from failed friendships; think about His relationship with Judas.
• “It’s better to have a scar that hurts than an open wound.” —Lisa-Jo Baker
• Lisa-Jo encourages moms to take the daily opportunities to die to ourselves.
• “What I love about Jesus is that He’s never going to get tired of you coming to Him, or asking for validation, or asking Him how you look or how that project went…like NEVER. He’s never tired of that. You can come to Him as much as you want, about everything under the sun…and He will love you. He is fascinated by your life, and He wants to share it with you.” — Lisa-Jo Baker
• Jeremiah 17:9 (ESV)
• Philippians 4:8 (ESV)
• Luke 10:25-37

Resources:

• Never Unfriended
• neverunfriended.com
• (in)courage
• Surprised By Motherhood
• We Saved You a Seat
• Every podcast episode will have all the highlights and links from each episode (just like this) on my website. So, come on over to the blog to find the show notes.
• Be sure to grab your FREE copy of my book, Sanity Savers for Moms, by joining our Simply Joyful community. It's a great way to keep in touch…and get subscriber-only freebies like my book. Click HERE to get the book and join! 

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