Proverbs 27:9-10(NLT)
9 The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. 10 Never abandon a friend—either yours or your father’s.
Friendship day is typically in the month of August and honoring our friends in some way is a very sweet thing to do. If you’re blessed to have one or a few true friends, then you are blessed indeed. We are living in dark times, and it is very comforting to have people that truly have our backs. Proverbs 18:24 tells us that a real friend sticks closer than a brother or sister, and Proverbs 27:9 teaches that a sweet friendship refreshes the soul. People of the world can be very critical and there are some individuals that have made tearing people down a sport. So, if you’ve ever had a friend that encourages and inspires you when you need it most, then you know what a treasure real friendship is.
Pray for your friends
Ephesians 6:18 The Message(MSG) teaches, “Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.” We can become so accustomed to leaning on our friends for support that we neglect to be supportive towards them. Good friends are usually people that do not draw unnecessary attention to themselves. They may have days where they are not feeling particularly upbeat, but they don’t show it. Not only should we keep them continually lifted up in prayer, but we must recognize that we can be a blessing to them in ways others cannot. As part of our prayers, we should pray to be led by the Spirit to bless and comfort our friends in a very impactful way. We may not know when they are feeling down, but the Spirit knows all things. If we are attentive to the Lord’s voice, we may be prompted to call at just the time that our friends need a word of encouragement most.
Handle disagreements respectfully
It is inevitable that friends will have disagreements. It’s very easy for one friend to take the closeness they share with the other friend for granted. In a disagreement, this can be costly. Proverbs 18:19(NLT) tells us, “An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars.” Our close friends are not always great at setting boundaries, and sometimes we overstep without realizing it. When a person’s feelings are hurt, they might get over it, but the memory of the sting can still linger. It can also trigger other hurtful memories from the past. We run the risk of becoming yet another reminder of something they’d rather forget. That’s why, no matter how close our friendships are, we need to hold ourselves accountable to maintain certain boundaries. We always keep it real with our besties, but we can disagree respectfully by being more careful about what we say and how we say it. As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have a duty to be honest, but also tenderhearted and kind.
Be a true confidante
I have friends that confide in me with very personal details, and I never break their confidence. Some have told me that they have shared things with me that they would never share with another human being. It is very rewarding to know that I can be the kind of friend to them that they are to me. Not only is discretion an important characteristic to our friendships with other people, but it is monumentally important to our relationship with Heavenly Father. There are certain things about our walk with Christ and our intimate conversations with him that we simply shouldn’t share with others. As mature Christians, we must be locked boxes of discretion. This lets the Father know that He can trust us. Being a trusted confidante also adds strength to the bonds of other friendships as well. A true friend will always be someone you can trust, and this is the kind of friend we should be to others.
In Jeremiah 17:10(NLT), our Heavenly Father said, “But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” God knows every nook and cranny of who we are, and He looks at our hearts and examines our motives. We need to examine our own hearts as well, and we need to make sure that we are valuing our friends the way we ourselves want to be valued. We can’t see another person’s heart, but we can certainly be more attentive to our friend’s feelings. And whenever we can, we should show them how much we appreciate them and thank God continually for allowing them to be a part of our lives.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright ©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
“The Treasure of a True Friend”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.