A True Friend

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

I want to encourage you today to think about your friendships. Not just the people you know or have a casual acquaintance with, but those people that you share a deep connection and understanding with. Who are these people? And how did you get to this point in your friendship with them?

As Solomon notes in Proverbs, many times friendships grow deeper when confronted with some type of adversity or testing. Think about it--if a friendship has never been tested, how do you know it would survive that tough time? Please understand, I am not encouraging you to go out and purposely test all your friendships. After all, aren't there enough challenges in this world we live in without artificially creating more?

What I am saying is know full well that in the midst of adversity, God can use all things for good. (Romans 8:28). Maybe one of those good things is that your friendships will grow stronger and deeper. Speaking from my and my wife's experience after the ATV accident, the bonds between us and many of our friends were stretched and in that process made much, much stronger. We were extremely blessed by these friends. They knew just when to show up and what to do when we needed them the most. It was truly amazing to see God work in this regard and we are extremely grateful for and love each one.

Friendships don't just happen. They take time and effort. They start by opening yourself to others. Allow them into your life and to maybe see you when you are not at your best. That is what "sharing life" is all about--the good times and those not so good. Now is the time to pour your heart into others--not just to look ahead into the future, but to also make a difference in some one's life today.

Give thanks to God for the friends he has brought into your life. And if you don't have many friends, ask Him to bless your life with a few more.

Stay Strong.