A True Friend

Lately, I have been thinking quite a bit about friendships and what a true friend really looks like.  We often have many people in our lives that we consider friends, but I often feel like many people lack that true friend.  And I find myself wondering, at times, if I'm that true friend to others.

After much thought, I have put together a list of important characteristics of friendship.


1. A friend is always willing to listen ~ Not just to the happy parts of our lives, but to the things we're struggling with and the hurts.

2. A friend lifts you up ~ We all need encouragement, but the encouragement of a true friend is beyond compare!  Having just one true friend supporting you and cheering you on can make all the difference.

3. A friend is loyal ~ She sticks by you and stands up for you, even when you aren't around.

4. A friend is honest ~ A true friend is that friend who will tell you the things you need to hear and not just what you want to hear.  They'll tell you those things with love and compassion.

5. A friend loves unconditionally ~ We each have our own strengths and weaknesses. A true friend will know your faults and love you anyway.

6. A friend is faithful ~ She will stick by you through the ups and downs and she doesn't lose sight of who you really are, even when you have.

7.  A friend is forgiving ~ There will always come a time that you'll do or say something you regret, whether on purpose or on accident, and a true friend will always be ready to forgive.

8.  A friend is willing to go the extra mile ~ A friendship isn't 50/50.  A true friend will meet you where you are.  If you can only give 30%, she'll give 70%!

9.  A friend is gracious ~ She is aware of your feelings and always takes them into consideration.

10. A friend is always ready to laugh ~ Sometimes we need to laugh at ourselves or laugh so we don't cry.  Laughter is the best medicine, after all!

11. A friend is patient ~ A friend is going to always wait for you. Sometimes it may be as simple as you can't decide what outfit to wear, and  other times you might not be quite ready for the things life hands you.  A true friend will patiently wait for you knowing that you're going as quickly as you can.



While friendships are never perfect, having a true friend who is willing to learn and grow with you is one of the greatest blessings ever!

 

What Does The Bible Say About Friendship?

John 15:12-15 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

Luke 6:31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

Proverbs 13:20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Romans 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Out do one another in showing honor.

Ephesians 4:29-32 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Colossians 3:12-14 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.