Check On Your Strong Friends

Check on Your Strong Friends

This past week, at a meeting with my dear sisters of The Links, Incorporated, one of my sisters shared a message that pierced my heart in the most profound way. She reminded us that while we are quick to pray for the poor, the bereaved, and the sick and shut in, we often forget about the ones who look like they have it all together. The strong ones. The sisters who hold everyone else up, yet rarely let anyone see when they are weary.

Her words stayed with me because they spoke to a truth we all know but often overlook. Strength is a gift, but it can also be a heavy burden. The strong friend is often the encourager, the fixer, the one who answers the late-night calls, plans the events, carries the responsibilities, and smiles through storms. Yet behind closed doors, even she may wrestle with exhaustion, loneliness, or silent battles of her own.

The Silent Weight of Strength

We live in a culture that celebrates resilience. We admire the ones who never seem to break, but we forget that their silence does not mean absence of struggle. They may cry in the shower, pray in the midnight hour, or quietly push through seasons of disappointment with no one to lean on. Strength, after all, does not cancel humanity.

A Call to Intentional Care

Checking on your strong friends requires intentionality. Do not just assume they are fine because they look fine. Send the text. Make the call. Pray their name out loud in your prayers. Sometimes the smallest act of care is the reminder that they are seen, valued, and loved not only for what they do, but simply for who they are.

The Power of Prayer and Presence

I want to pause here and give credit to my dear Links sister who had the courage to bring this truth to the forefront. Her message reminded me that intercession must go beyond categories of “need.” Every sister, every friend, every human being deserves to be covered in prayer, especially those who pour out so much that their own cup runs dry.

When we pray for the strong, we remind them that God sees them too. When we check on the strong, we affirm that their worth is not tied only to what they give but also to who they are.

Closing Thought

So today, I echo the challenge that was given to me: check on your strong friends. Do not wait for them to crumble before you notice their need. Be present, be prayerful, and be intentional. Sometimes the strongest souls need the simplest reminders that they are not carrying the world alone.