Friendship

My very first best friend is Jordan (in the picture above.) We were at each others' very first birthday parties! There are too many memories to talk about, from riding bike adventures, to eating about 10 popsicles a day, playing barbies and house, and so much more. My childhood would not be the same without her, and even though we have gone our seperate ways, I still and always will consider her a best friend!

"A mirror reflects a man's face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses."

Choosing friends can make or break who we are or who we become.  Therefore, choose friends wisely because they can influence our lives in ways that we don't even realize! This post will discuss the importance of friendship, how to choose friends, and how to be a friend.

Friendship is important because they can hold us accountable, pick us up when we fall, encourage us, forgive us, and be there to just listen. “If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no-one to help him up!” Ecclesiastes 4:10.  I have known people in my life that live to please.  They want to be good friends with everyone.  If you have this attitude, you will end up pleasing people by giving into temptations because not everyone lives to please God! “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

How do we choose friends? Choose friends that have Christ-like qualities. That’s it.  Find someone who will make you a better person. Proverbs 13:20 says, “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” We all strive to be spiritually wise, right? So find someone that can build you up instead of tear you down.  As for the “friends” that end up telling your secrets, scheming behind your back, calling you names, and well you get the point… RUN. Don’t try to “get them back” in ANY way. Simply show a Christ-like attitude by being a good example.  One of the fifth graders I tutored told me that his friend was calling his brother names and making fun of him.  So, he said, “tomorrow I’m gunna beat him up!” I tried to talk him out of it but he insisted still. So just when I thought I ran out of things to say, I simply said, “What would Jesus do?” And he sat there with nothing else to say.   I have had some negative experiences with friends and learned that “what didn’t kill me, made me stronger.” I am not saying I handle all situations well, but I learned that the best thing to do in those situations was nothing at all. Be the bigger person (spiritually) and I promise the Lord will reward you! “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9

“In order to have a friend, you must be a friend.” So, some friend DO’s are: Pray for them, Be there to listen, give spiritual advice even if they don’t ask for it (it may be hard sometimes, but they will eventually thank you for it!), be loyal, be encouraging, and when they give YOU spiritual advice, take it to heart, and finally, LOVE them. Some friend DON’Ts: Don’t limit them to only being friends with you (I’ve seen this a lot), and don’t let jealousy take over (I’ve seen this too many times, too).

So, to sum it all up, God wants us to have friends because they help us through our struggles.  I truly believe God comforts us through friends that live for HIM. So I hope you will take what I have said to heart so that when you find yourself down in the dumps, you can call someone up to grab some lunch, go shopping, get your nails done, or most importantly, discuss God’s word and PRAY…together.