How can we find true friendship in this often phony, temporary world? Genuine friendship involves a shared sense of caring and concern, a desire to see one another grow and develop, and a hope for each other to succeed in all aspects of life. True friendship involves action, doing something for someone else while expecting nothing in return, sharing thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment or negative criticism.
True friendship involves relationship. Many people say, "Oh, he's a good friend of mine," yet they never take time to spend time with that "good friend." Friendship takes time. Time to get to know each other, time to build shared memories, time to invest in each other's growth.
Trust is essential to true friendship. We all need someone with whom we can share our lives, thoughts, feelings, and frustrations. We need to be able to share our deepest secrets with someone, without worrying that those secrets will end up on Facebook the next day! Haha
True friendship is biblical. In Genesis 18:17-33, we read about God sharing His intentions with Abraham. Abraham responds by telling God his thoughts and feelings about the situation. God and Abraham are able to do this because they trust and respect each other.
First Samuel 20 focuses on the friendship of David and Jonathan. Because of the true friendship they shared, David survived Saul's assassination attempts and went on to become one of Israel's greatest kings.
God's Word tells us that a friend sticks closer than a brother, and that in order for one to be a friend, one must show themselves friendly (Proverbs 18:24). The question is: what type of friend do you desire to be?
This life has blessed me with several true friendships, relationships that I would truly fight for. If you are a friend who happens by this blog, thank you. Thank you for leaving an imprint on my heart. I am a better person because of you.
Blessings,
dave
I agree... thanks for your friendship dude...
ReplyDeleteThanks for this blog. It speaks to me as I'm sure it will speak to others. You are right on!
ReplyDeleteI am so thankful that God has given me the best friendship ever & it's with YOU, my spouse =)
ReplyDeleteLove ya always!!
True friends are hard to come by and many times those we feel are our dear friends slowly drift away. I am thankful for the friends I have, and thanks Dave for your friendship. Thanks for the blog.
ReplyDeleteI also concur, Dave. This was so well stated. I do count you as a true friend. You have wisdom beyond your years, and I've admired your faith and integrity for some time, but even more so as we've gotten to know each other better in the last year. My regret is that I've not spent the time with you away from the office to take that friendship to a deeper level. My apologies to you. Love ya, bro!
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