Love in Friendship
Do you have a lot of friends?
Verse of the Day
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”
Today’s Devotional
What kind of friend are you? Have you ever been described as a fair-weather friend?
In my opinion, really good friends are hard to find. And I wonder why that is. If I were to guess, I would say that one of the reasons we struggle to develop deep friendships is due to a lack of (and fear of) authenticity. We, as a culture, tend to function in life with a facade. We wear different masks in different situations hoping that in each case we will “fit”. In doing so, no one ever gets to know the real version of each of us.
But in the middle of “adversity”, we no longer have the ability to put on our mask. Other things are more important in those moments than putting on whichever mask we think is right.. We just don’t have the energy for it. We are barely holding it together, so we behave in a more authentic way. So do our friends. Some people just show up. They help. They hold us while we cry. They do the things that we don’t have the strength for.
And in those same moments of adversity, some people who we thought were friends simply slip away. Our mess makes them uncomfortable. Or judgmental. Or they simply don’t know what to say or how to help. Or they may not be aware of our adversity. Those people are not true friends. They were acquaintances of convenience, or perhaps just friends for a different season.
The Bible tells me how to be a good friend. Luke 6:31 says, “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.”. If I need people to show up for me, then I have to show up for them. The same is true of daily, non-adversity times. If I like to be checked in with, I need to check in on my friends. If I like for my friends to pray for me, then I have to be willing to share honest prayers requests…and I have to pray for my friends.
And then there is kindness. Sometimes the people in my life just need kind attention. In Job 6:14 the Bible says, “Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.” I doubt that many of us would purposely withhold kindness from our friends, but what about being so busy with my own life that I don’t even notice when my friend needs my kindness?
Jesus is the ultimate example of friendship. In fact, the ancient Jews thought the second half of today’s verse was a reference to the coming Christ. Jesus was literally born to face adversity so that we could be His brothers and sisters. THAT is friendship. Doing what is inconvenient, and maybe even painful, to help someone that I love. I pray that I can learn to be that type of friend.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
If you have faced seasons of adversity, has it solidified some friendships? If so, thank God for that kind of clarity and for those relationships.
What can you do better as a friend?
Where do you need God’s help to love your friends well?
Lastly, thank Jesus for His friendship. It’s priceless and exactly what you need.