For Little BAEs (4–12)
When Your Friend Leaves You Out
“A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
The hurt is real
When a girl finds out the others went without her, the sting is not small to her. Telling her it does not matter teaches her to hide her feelings instead of bringing them to God.
Let her say it plainly: that hurt. Then sit with her in it for a minute before you try to fix anything.
What Scripture says about friendship
Proverbs 17:17 describes a friend who loves at all times, not only on the easy days. That is the standard she is being invited to grow into, and the standard she can gently hope for in others.
It also gives her a measure. A friendship that only shows up when it is convenient is not the kind she has to chase.
Three things she can do this week
Say what she felt, kindly and directly, to the friend involved. Most childhood exclusions are thoughtlessness, not cruelty.
Look for one girl who is often alone and sit with her. Being the friend she wants heals faster than waiting for one.
Pray for the friend by name. It softens a heart that wants to harden.
She does not have to earn a place at a table. She can build one.