A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. – PROVERBS 17:17
The family of a middle school boy learned that he had a form of cancer that required some radical treatment, including chemotherapy. Over a period of weeks the boy lost his hair, and was very self-conscious. The day came for him to come home from the hospital. His parents had been encouraging him to invite his friends to the hospital to see him, but he was embarrassed. When the family walked in the house, the lights came on with a loud shout of, “SURPRISE!” As the boy looked around the room, he saw all of his classmates. Each of the guys from his class had stocking caps on, and at the same time, they removed the caps to display their shaved heads. The boy looked around the room and realized what his friends had done for him. He began to laugh, and had a great day with his friends. Returning to school was easy after that.
We all need friends. But what sort of friend are you? All of us have had “friends” who stabbed us in the back, or disappeared when times got tough. The greatest example of friendship is Jesus. He will never leave us. There is nothing you can do to Him that will cause Him not to love you. He is there to support you when you struggle, lift you when your are down, and rejoice with you when things are good. As a Christian, it is wonderful to know that we have a friend like this in Christ. But we should also be a friend like this.
Take a few minutes to make a list of your five closest friends. After each friend’s name, write a way you can apply this verse to your friendship. Then make a second list, those people who used to be your friends, but for some reason you have drifted away. Take a few minutes to pray for those friends and think about dropping them a note, making a connection on Facebook, or giving them a call.