Made For Friendship: The Relationship That Halves Our Sorrows and Doubles Our Joys by Drew Hunter encouraged and convicted me through every chapter. As an outgoing person, friendships have always been a big part of my life. I spend time with others often and get energy from being around people. Because of this, reading a book on friendship seemed like a helpful thing for me to do. Now that I am finished, I think that everyone should read this book. Made For Friendship is for those with rich friendships and also for those with few or no friendships. My gratitude for friendship and conviction to be a better friend have grown tremendously.
Drew Hunter will have you marveling at the gift of friendship from the very first chapter. He writes, “If you ask me what’s best in life, I’m going to give you names.” As I contemplated this line I couldn’t help but agree. I could pull lines like this from every single chapter that caused me to stop and rejoice in God’s gracious design of friendship. Hunter had me reflecting back on my favorite memories. It wasn’t the places I’d been or the things I did, as much as the people I’d been with that made these memories great. Made for Friendship is one of those books that leaves you with much to think about. Our kind God gives us friends to walk with us through this life. Hunter clearly articulates why friendship is a gift to be pursued.
One point that Hunter emphasizes is the importance of trust in relationships. He says in Chapter 4, “Gossip erodes trust, and distrust erodes friendship…when distrust enters your relationship, you may remain friendly, but you can’t remain real friends.” I have unfortunately experienced this, and I know these words to be true. More importantly, I found myself thinking, “how would my friendships be affected if my friends could hear everything that I say or think about them?”
If your experience of friendship has involved more pain than joy, this book is for you too. If any book can help people struggling in friendship or to find friends, this is it. “Many of us carry disappointments from our relationships,” Hunter writes, “but we feel this discouragement because God planted [friendship] deep in our hearts.” This book inspires us to keep trying even if friendship is hard. Personality types and past experiences cannot and will not change the fact that we were all made for friendship.
Having completed this book, I am convinced more than ever that friendship is worth the investment it requires.
