How Many Monkeys Do You Have?

Dr. Henry Cloud was one of the speakers at the Women of Faith event I attended this past weekend, and he said some things I think we all need to be reminded of sometimes.

Dr. Cloud explained to us that researchers have done a study in which they stick a monkey in a cage and proceed to scare the dickens out of it. Bright lights, loud noises, rattling the cage - they continue until the monkey is literally terrified.  

Then they stick a second money in the cage. And the first monkey's stress levels drop by half. 

The chaos outside hasn't stopped, but just having a friend to be with them in the middle of it makes all the difference.

None of us were meant to walk through life and its crazy times alone. We need to have - and be - friends.

Don't be too proud to let your friends walk with on the hard days. And don't shy away from just being with a friend in need because you don't think you know what to do or say - sometimes it's enough just to be there.

Who are your monkeys? Take a minute this week to give them an extra hug or send them a note thanking them for having your back and reminding them that you'll always have theirs.