A True Friend

“A man of many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

Soon after Jack Benny died, George Burns was interviewed on TV. “Jack and I had a wonderful friendship for nearly 55 years,” Burns said. “Jack never walked out on me when I sang a song, and I never walked out on him when he played the violin. We laughed together, we played together, we worked together, we ate together. I suppose that for many of those years we talked every single day.”

I always get nervous when people talk about how many friends they have. Truth is, we have a lot of acquaintances, we know a lot of people, we associate with hundreds, but we really only have a few really close friends.

In fact, if you have more that five really, really close friends, I’m not sure you have any at all! Now don’t get me wrong - I’m not saying relationships are wrong - we should be friendly and know a lot of people, but the truth is - how many of your “friends” really know everything about you? Know your deepest feelings, fears, and thoughts? How many of your “friends” would you trust your life with? ...or know when everyone else has left, they will still be there?

You see, those few are the ones who are your closest friends, and what a blessing it is to have these few who you know you can count on, be yourself around, and feel the freedom of always knowing they have your back.

Thank God for these friends, and ask God to help you to be that kind of friend to them.