A Good Friend

Good morning,

I saw this meme on Facebook the other day.  It went something like this:  "You know that friend that used to 'get you'?  She still 'gets you'. "  Amen to that!  Today, I get to spend the day with a friend of over... {counting} .... well, nearly 30 years!  She lives about 4 hours from here, and we only get to see each other about 3-4 times a year.  Fortunately, she has relatives in my home community.  That is the case today.  She's coming up my way as an extension, a day-trip, of her extended trip to visit her relatives.

My mother is spending the weekend with one of her first cousins, who are also her dear friends.  As their lives have moved into retirement, she and her cousins have been privileged to spend more time together.

Good friends are a blessing.  I didn't realize that so much as a younger gal, but I certainly do as I get older.  Those shared memories and experiences are so very meaningful, as they have become part of the person I am today.

A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity.

Proverbs 17:17

The Bible says in Proverbs 17:17 and 18:24 that a true friend is always loyal and that often friendship is stronger than blood kin.  My blood kin "ain't shabby neither", and I'm also very blessed to have several friends who feel like kin.  In fact, I think we discovered some years ago that the friend I'm spending the day with today IS kin to me, somewhere back there in one of the family trees.

The wise person is careful who he or she chooses as friends.  It's not that we should always choose friends who are just like us.  However, the Bible also warns in Proverbs 26:24 that some people will pretend to be your friend in order to destroy you.

Enemies disguise themselves with their lips, but in their hearts they harbor deceit.

Proverbs 26:24

Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?

Proverbs 20:6

Others have such different values and beliefs about God that it's not wise to become their "bosom buddies".  The Bible warns us in 2 Corinthians 6:14 not to hitch our wagon up with unbelievers.  This applies not only in friendship, but also in business dealings and in marriage.

So, cherish your friends.  Nurture your healthy friendships by "pouring into" them.  Pray to "sharpen" your friends and that they will likewise build you up in your Christian faith.

Lord, thank you for my dear friends that You have given.  They have been such a precious treasure, and I hope that I have likewise been the same to them.  May we brighten each other's spirits today! In Jesus' name, amen.