by Karen Finn
The Treasure of Friendship
Think back for a moment about the first, closest, “most best-
est” friend you ever had. Maybe it was a classmate, or a neighbor,
or someone you went to church with. How old were you? What
attracted you to become their friend? Have you continued to stay
friends over the years? How did that first friendship influence your
future relationships with others?
Can you imagine being acquainted with someone who tears us down or causes conflict? Most of us want to be around people whose company we enjoy. On the other hand, we need to be careful that we do not depend on friends for our emotional well-being either.
What qualities do you look for in a friendship? Most of our friendships are formed because of shared common interests. If the Lord is an active and important part of your life, does He hold the same position in your friends’ lives as well?
I like that God created us all so differently. Life would get really boring if we all had similar personalities. Even when we meet someone who is not quite like the kind of person we usually befriend, I believe God is giving us opportunity to expand our experiences and allowing us to become more like Him in the
process of loving one another unconditionally.
Read what these verses from the book of Proverbs have to say about friends:
· Proverbs 17:17: “A friend loveth at all times”.
A true friend will treat you with kindness, and not put
you into a compromising situation. A true friend will not
hold a grudge, or set conditions. If one who claims to be your friend isn’t treating you in a loving way, maybe they should not be your friend!
· Proverbs 18:24: “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly; and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”
Too often, we expect others to be friendly to us first. Do you display an “approachable” –ness, which makes others want to reach out to you? Also, we know the friend spoken of here (in the second part of the verse) is the Lord. Even when others may fail us, God’s friendship will last forever –you can be sure of that!
· Proverbs 27:17: “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”
I like this verse. The metal iron is so strong and sturdy,
that the only other object which can keep it sharp (in its
“best” state) is another piece of iron. Remember that
when it comes to your friendships. Choose your friends
wisely, make sure they are bringing out the best in you!
Writing about the treasure of friendship, makes me think of a dear friend, who I grew up with; we have known each other for nearly forty years! Although distance (>400 miles) separates us physically, and the busyness of raising our families has become a priority, we share a special bond, a familiarity with one another that is unique. We haven’t talked in months, but if she were to call me tonight, it would seem like yesterday when we last spoke. I feel blessed to have had such a friend in my life all these years!
Cherish your friends. Let them know how much you value their support and presence. The gift of friendship is truly a treasure!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*On a finishing note, here are some quips concerning friendship, taken from Zingers by Croft M. Pentz:
~The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail and not his tongue.
~A friend is someone who knows all our faults but still loves us.
~Friendships earned before you need them are almost certain to be more lasting.
~Don’t worry about knowing people—just make yourself worth knowing.
~If you were another person, would you like to be a friend of yours?
~Christ’s friendship prevails when human friendship fails.
No comments:
Post a Comment