Girlfriends

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a women's retreat that my amazing church prepared, as they do every year! This year our special guest were Lisa Jernigan & Patty Wyatt. Theses two ladies are Co-founders of "Girlfriends Unlimited," an international organization and ministry for women and churches. The information they presented to us during the retreat was very encouraging, eye-opening, and powerful! In the opening session, they had us complete a Preview Profile - Girlfriend Style. The profile was titled, "Which Coffee Type are You?" It looked a little something like this:

Select the words in each category that describe your behaviors

(Choose what truly describes you, not how you would like to be described)

Latte

• evasive
• practical
• diplomatic
• factual
• controlled
• analytical
• inquisitive
• cautious
• persistent
• accurate
• deliberate
• detailed
• reserved
• precise

Chai

• relaxed
• patient
• good listener
• consistent
• thoughtful
• enjoys routine
• deep relationships
• amiable
• loyal
• team player
• adaptable
• avoids conflict
• dislikes change
• nurturing

Espresso

• demanding
• ambitious
• determined
• decisive
• bold
• firm
• goal driven
• decision maker
• competitive
• assertive
• takes charge
• purposeful
• leader
• enjoys challenge

Mocha

• inspiring
• likes recognition
• takes risks
• very verbal
• avoids details
• likes variety
• energetic
• people oriented
• optimistic
• expressive/emotional
• approachable
• visionary
• motivator
• creative

Now double the number of words selected in each category.

You can find this actual Profile on their website www.GirlfriendIT.com

This activity was neat because we could identify which personality we are and it made so much sense. The girls around me that night are some of my closest friends and we had such a good time doing this together. We laughed because we probably could have filled one of these out for each other. But more than that, it helped each one of us understand more of who we are, how we deal with people, circumstances, conflict, conversation, etc. We also received a better grasp on how to influence and communicate with each other!

Sometimes as women we don't understand our differences, we just expect everyone to be like ourselves. However, that can cause some frustration and create relationships that aren't solid! The entire experience over the course of the weekend made me really thankful for the girlfriends I have and also made me realize how important it is to make sure that we have girlfriends we can count on at all times. We need friends in our lives that we can be real with, call on at anytime, laugh and cry with, and be transparent with in full confidence that they have our best interest at heart!

I love getting together with my girlfriends because I can count on them to leave me refreshed with a fresh perspective, to encourage me as a Christ follower, and to walk forward with a greater purpose! I encourage you to evaluate your friendships. Do you have girlfriends that you can trust and be real with?

Finally, I will leave you with another great piece of information I gained at this awesome retreat: You have to put yourself out there, be vulnerable and transparent, in order for you to find and create friendships that are forever! They definitely don't just appear and fall in your lap! INVEST yourself in others lives and you will be blessed with that in return!