FRIEND, BUDDY, AMIGO, BESTIE, CONFIDANT, ALLY...

I, Annice, have been thinking a lot about frienDship these past few weeks. I have had my share of ups and downs in the area of friendship, specifically female friendships. I fondly remember my first "best friend". She and I met in preschool and our friendship began fading once we hit Middle School. We did everything together, we even had those tacky Best Friend Heart Necklaces. After that, I have had several best friends, but none of them lasted but a couple years.

As I grow in my relationship with the Lord, I learn more things about friendship. Some aspects of a friend are:

• Loyalty - Acts 2:27 "For You will not abandon my soul, leaving it helpless in Hades (the state of departed spirits), nor let Your Holy One know decay or see destruction [of the body after death]."
  
• Good Listener - Matthew 6:8, "Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."
  
• Trustworthy - 1 Timothy 1:15, "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all."
  
• Cares for you - 1 Peter 5:7, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

• Willing to die for you - John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Christ is all those things and more.

Now, survey your closest friends, what qualities do they have? Are they friends or acquaintances?  According to Proverbs 17:17, A friend will love at ALL times. That is good times, bad times, periods of anger, periods of grief, periods of depression, periods of addiction, periods of joy, periods of resentment, periods of unforgiveness, periods of love, etc. I know that the world we live in teaches us the contrary to that. It teaches us to give up, not work hard, divorce, etc. We need to be the generation to break that cycle! We need friendships more now than ever!

Look around you. Look deep into the heart and mind of your friend, co-worker, family member, spouse, child, and so on....They may look like they have it all together, but my guess is that they do not. Love them at all times, even if you do not know for sure what time that is right now. You would want the same from someone close to you, wouldn't you?

Heavenly Father,
Reach deep into the hearts of our readers and pull out those "times". Make them visible to those around them. Cause them to reach out to someone close to them, pray with them, send them encouraging words, shower them with love and show them they are cared for. We want to break this horrible cycle of masking our problems and hurts. We want to love our friends at ALL times. But most of all, Lord, it is our desire to love and do things pleasing to you. In Your Son's precious name, Amen.

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