One of the most prized experiences we will ever have in life is friendship. To have someone who is always close, willing to listen and is able to help in the hour of darkness, is a true gift from God. (Pr. 17:17) We want friends, we need friends, we cherish friends. I know of no one who doesn’t want a friend.

Elbert Hubbard said, “A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” They know the worst things about you and, yet, for all the bad, all they can see is the good. And they aren’t your friend because of what you can do for them. In all likelihood, they are your friend because they see something in you that naturally draws you to them. They see the qualities in you that others may not see. They also realize that, as the friendship goes, they will likely give more to you than you will be able to give in return.

The Bible talks about friendship. David and Jonathan were friends under the most difficult circumstances imaginable. Jonathan’s father hated David and wanted him dead. Yet, Jonathan saw the inherent goodness of David and “the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. “(1 Sam. 18:1) No doubt, Jonathan loved his father, but, denying any loyalty to his father, he chose to do what was right and support David as God’s anointed.

A friend will tell us the truth hoping it will help and not hurt. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” (Pr. 27:6) A friend will help make us better. “Iron sharpeneth iron; so, a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” (Pr. 27:17) A friend is someone who will sacrifice his own life to help the one he loves. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (Jn. 15:13) A friend is someone you can count on regardless of the circumstances. They are not just with you when things are going well. They are there when even the loss you sustain may become their own loss, as well.

Friendship will erase loneliness, melt hatred, dissolve differences, patch a tear rather than destroy a relationship, build a bridge, resolve a doubt, spend, and be spent…all for the good of the other person.

Do you have friends? Count them as your truest and most valuable treasure, a gift from God. Hold them close and let them know how much they mean to you. I think, more importantly…are you the friend to others that you wish others to be for you?

 

—Gary Knuckles one of the preachers at the Briensburg Church of Christ in Benton, KY