What is True Friendship? - Linda Vaprezsan

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.  Henceforth I call you not servants’ for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth:  but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

John 15:13-15

Someone has said:  It is a good thing to be rich.  And a good thing to be strong.  But it is a better thing to be loved by many friends.

Everyone wants to have friends, lots of friends.  From the time a little girl is born she has enjoyed making friends.  But sometimes those friendships turn sour, and we have to know how to pick up the pieces.

How wonderful it must have been for the people closest to Jesus to be called his friends!  Today we can also count Jesus as our friend if we have given him our life. The most important friend I have outside of Jesus Christ is my husband.  Many homes are broken because a man and a woman have never really become friends.  I treasure the friendship I have with my husband of 58+ years.

Too often we treat our friends as if they were an old shoe or just a worn-out piece of clothing.  We keep them at arm’s length until we have a special need.  Then we rush to get their aid and the warmth of their love to sustain us.

A philosopher long ago said: “A man is rich if he possesses one true friend.”  It is easy to have a host of friends to laugh with us, friends who enjoy our hospitality and our food, but friends who stand by us in the time of adversity are not so easy to find.  When adversity comes, they flee.

It is nice to keep all our friends, but we should never do so at the expense of our Christian principles.  When a friend encourages you to go against what you have been taught then they are no longer a close friend. These type of friends we need to keep at arm’s length. Be kind, speak to them and even try to find out what the issue is so you can both learn from the issue that pushed you apart and possibly repair the division in your friendship. 

We have ladies that have left our church and gone to other good churches in our area that I am still friends with. Some I have even gone to lunch with. Be careful you keep your conversation kind and caring. You can still be concerned about their health, family, etc. You can even pray with them about requests they might have.  

A true friend is an encourager.  A true friend is one who walks with God and can give you Godly advice.  A true friend does not talk about people, but about the things of the Lord.  A true friend lifts you up when you are fallen.  A true friend will pray with you.  A true friend is someone who is there when you need them but doesn’t hover over you or have to be with you every waking moment.

Do people not want to be around you because of who your friends are?  Check your criteria for friendship again and make sure you are choosing your friends wisely.  Help your children to choose their friends wisely.

The best and first friend anyone should have is, of course, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He is the friend who “sticketh closer than a brother.”  He is a friend whom we should endeavor to introduce to all our other friends.  He is a friend we should ever seek to know better.

I thank the Lord for the many lady friends God has given me in my life.  I love the ladies of our church. Being in the same church for 51 years has allowed me to have many dear lady friends. God has also allowed me to have many ladies around the country who are pastor’s wives, ministry wives, etc. who have become good friends.  They are very near and dear to me. Through this past month I have received so many texts, phones calls, messages, etc. from people saying they are praying for me. These messages are very special to me and make me feel so loved.

How often we carelessly make the statement, “Oh, she is my friend, she will understand.”  We should always treat our friends with consideration, even if we do feel 

they will overlook our shortcomings.  We need to let our friends know we love them and respect their wishes.

Sometimes a kind word or deed from a friend helps us to keep going when we want to quit.  It is such a blessing to have someone come to me and say they are praying for me or to find a note slipped under my door telling me they care.

I have made new friends this past year which I have totally enjoyed, plus I’ve been able to rekindle friendships that are many years old. Reconnecting with dear friends is very special.  It’s amazing how you can reconnect with a friend you haven’t seen in 40 years and it’s like it was just yesterday.

There are many people who cross my path and I try to be a friend to everyone I meet. Ladies are watching you to see how you react to certain situations. When you least expect it someone will introduce themselves and say that they’ve been watching me. We had a young woman come back to our church who saw us in a different light then before because of negative people clouding her vision. Praise the Lord she came back and God is using her to help others.  

I thank the Lord for the dear friends God has given me through my lifetime.  All are special to me.  God bless you dear friends.