A Friend that Sticks Closer than a Brother

 

My middle son and his life-long best friend

I no longer call you slaves because the slave does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends because I have revealed to you everything I heard from my Father.  John 15:15

 I have a rocky and bizarre history with friendships. I remember my first best friend, Mia, when I was in kindergarten. She lived around the corner from me and we would play at each other’s homes all the time. In October of my first grade year, they moved me into third grade, so we didn’t see each other as much, and the next year we moved to McNeil Island in the Puget Sound so that pretty much ended our young friendship. Forty years later, I still remember her though!

 As an adult, I learned that most friendships are seasonal ones. They have to do with a shared activity or group, like a church or homeschool co-op. I still follow many of the people that I had these types of friendships with on social media. I still pray for them when I see stuff come up. But having not actually spoken with them for years, I would hesitate to call them friends any longer.

 So what would I define a friend as in my life? The Bible has A LOT to say about this, and it’s advice is so spot on!

 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17

 Too many times in life you find that when you enter into difficult circumstances, the swarm of friends behind you has evaporated. Sometimes you face a dragon and turn to realize that the army you brought with you has been reduced to a single knee-knocking shield-bearer. But it’s that friend that you really needed all along! It’s the friend that sticks closer the tougher the situation gets that proves true. We not only need these friends, we need to be these friends!

 “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.  James 2:23

 In this situation, Abraham believed God beyond his circumstances. Everything around him said something else, but Abraham knew that God was right and stuck with Him. That’s friendship. No matter how damning the evidence, a true friend knows the other’s heart and believes them completely. I seek to both be a friend and cultivate friendships like this.

 Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.  Proverbs 27:9

 Oftentimes people are eager to tell you what they think you want to hear, or even what they, themselves, would like to hear. They think of this as being kind, but in reality it can be awfully detrimental. A true friend is willing to step outside of their comfort zone and offer you the godly advice you need to hear. It’s not comfortable. It’s not easy. But that is the mark of a true friend. Jesus does this for us over and over through both His Word and the Holy Spirit in us. I’ve been blessed to have friends on earth as well who are willing to say, “Is this really your calling or are you just participating in your husband’s calling?” and other equally challenging things.

 Here's the Thing: God sends us many friends in our lifetime, some for a season and some for a lifetime, but Jesus is the “friend that sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24). We can rely on Him in everything, for everything, forever!