Diabuddies. Diabesties. Diabetes friends. Call them what you will, but they’re your go-to friends who either have diabetes or a close loved one of theirs has it. They just get it. They understand. And they can easily empathize. And they are so very needed in our lives.
There are two specific kinds of diabetes friends you need to have in your life. Do you have both of them?
As isolating as diabetes can be, it’s important we don’t try to walk this journey alone. We need people around us to acknowledge what we go through and encourage us along the way. We need others who will nod while we’re explaining our latest diabetes-related situation. And we need community with one another. It’s just intrinsic to who we are and how we were created to live life.
DIABETES FRIEND #1
Friend #1 is someone who has gone before you. This is someone who has dealt with diabetes longer than you have. It’s someone you can go to for wisdom. This is someone you look up to. You value their experience and their insight. And you find yourself feeling encouraged after talking with them.
When I think of friend #1 for me, I think of a new friend named Melissa. (You may remember a recent Q&A blog post with her. And I was just a guest on her new podcast!) She has had type 1 for 40 years now. She has been trained and certified in things like nutrition, hormones, and exercise as a diabetes coach—so it’s safe to say she plays this role for several people! I have only known her for a short time, but I have already learned so much from her. She is kind and gracious to pass along her knowledge to help others who are coming along after her on this journey with diabetes.
Who is your friend #1?
DIABETES FRIEND #2
Friend #2 is someone who is newer to diabetes than you are. (And if you just experienced your diagnosis, no sweat just yet. Your time will come to find this friend. For now, focus on several friend #1s.) This is someone who will have lots of logistical questions. They will ask how you approach something, or what your experience has been in certain situations. They will want to talk pumps and injections, food ideas, and all the tricks and tips you’ve uncovered along the way. This is your opportunity to support and encourage and pour into someone else.
For me, my friend #2 is a sweet friend I met when our daughters started playing softball together last spring. Her daughter was just diagnosed last fall (which I wrote about in my Devotions on Diabetes book), and this whole T1D thing is brand new to her and her entire family. It is encouraging to see her helping her daughter take this in stride, stay active, and always be prepared just in case. I intentionally checked in with her several times right after the diagnosis. And I am more than happy to share anything I can with her in order to best help her care for her daughter.
Who is your friend #2?
Now, I do have other friends who either have diabetes or have a child with diabetes. My co-blogger Brandy has been caring for her son with diabetes now for 6 years, and at this point she shares new info with me as much as I do with her. So there can be good in lots of different diabetes relationships, but I believe wholeheartedly in these two ends of the spectrum because they are so inherently helpful.
THE ORIGINAL FRIEND #1 and FRIEND #2
The idea for these two friend types isn’t something new. It’s the basic foundation of Christian discipleship. Find a mentor to help you grow, and then you, in turn, can help someone else grow.
And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.
2 Timothy 2:2
There is an amazing example of exactly what I’m talking about here with Paul and Timothy. Paul, a pillar of the church in the New Testament, was facing persecution for his faith when he penned two letters to Timothy (1 Timothy and 2 Timothy). In his letters, he encourages Timothy to be brave and communicate well to set things back on track in Ephesus where the leaders of the church were misrepresenting the message of Christ. As he starts his letter, Paul identifies Timothy as his “true son in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2).
Paul is friend #1 to Timothy, and Timothy is friend #2 to Paul.
What We Can Learn from Paul and Timothy
If you’ve not read these letters recently, I highly recommend you take the time to do so. They’re relatively short books, a total of ten chapters between them both. Paul is just so encouraging to Timothy in his message. And who doesn’t need that kind of person in their life?
I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
2 Timothy 1:5
Now we see there were multiple generations of these kinds of people helping each other. How we all need that kind of encouragement in our lives! The people who remind us of the good. A friend who remind us of faithfulness. Family members who point us to the truth… and then who can you bless in return?
We need these friendships in diabetes, but even more in our spiritual walk. Do you have these types of friends in your life?
Who do you think of when I describe these friendships, both in your life with diabetes and in your walk with the Lord? If you have them in your life already, thank God for them today. If not, pray that God would lead you to these people.
Lord, thank You for Your wonderful design for life that You would surround us with others to share in our experiences. Thank You for the faith-filled relationship Paul and Timothy shared. God, I pray today that I would find the friends I need in this life, and that I would befriend others who are in need of a friend as well. Help me to not just look to relationships for my own benefit, but how I can give to others to encourage and build them up. Amen.
For Further Reading: 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy
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