Friends, if I could give you one piece of advice today, it would be to stop skimping on your friendships.

Take it from me, someone who runs busy most of the time. When you slow down to actually invest in your friendships the impact is immediate. Your burdens are shared; your joys magnified; and your soul is energized.

Just by spending a couple of hours with people who grow your heart.

This week, in a three-day span, I had the great fortune of getting to spend time with some of my closest friends that I’ve made since my college years. It’s no secret that us men have difficulty in forming friendships later in life, and so I feel blessed that all of these men have come into my life in recent years. What a joy!

And thanks to a fortuitous schedule this week, I was able to join a handful of guys that I play low stakes poker with one night; then spend the entire next day with another friend traveling together to an out of town conference; and that was all followed by a long lunch with another friend on the third day.

How lucky for me because I love each of these guys for varying reasons, with each inspiring me in their own way.

But what they have in common is they’re kind, faithful people who are really good at listening and drawing out of me how I’m doing. … No small feat, as most caretaker types — myself included — tend to neglect spilling their guts to make room for others to do.

Within 72 hours though, I found myself cracking jokes about playing cards; discussing politics and current events; sharing a deeply theological conversation; airing out the challenges and joys of my pastoral life and as director of an emergency shelter; and also talking about music, art and the thrill of creation!

This all has left me buzzing! … And that should be the point of friendship, shouldn’t it? To enrich our lives, lighten our loads and refresh us to meet the challenges ahead.

We were not created to be solitary creatures. There are numerous scripture passages that bolster this notion, but thanks to my friends this week I am reminded of Proverbs 17:17: “A friend loves at all times, and kinsfolk are born to share adversity.”

Friends, I write often about the dangerous effects of loneliness. And you don’t have to dig too deep on the internet to discover how effectively we are isolating ourselves, especially since the pandemic.

But please don’t short change your friendships. With a nod to my poker pals, and also Derek and Todd, I am reminded that our friendships are some of the greatest assets we’ll ever possess. Amen.

Devlyn Brooks is the CEO of Churches United in Moorhead, Minn., and an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America serving Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. He blogs about faith at findingfaithin.com, and can be reached at devlynbrooks@gmail.com.