Be A Dependable Friend

Always Be Dependable ( Proverbs 17:17; 18:24 )

When does a friend love? At all times. This is not just when things are peaceful, or when things are in turmoil. It's not just when the two are locked step in agreement, as friends are liable to have widely different perspectives on issues from time to time.

A friend is someone you can count on. When you need them, you know they will be there. While there are many friends I've had over the course of my lifetime, there are only a select few that I will call upon in a crisis. With these friends, a call in the middle of the night in an emergency is not an imposition, and I would feel free to call them as well. Friends must prove themselves faithful, in that they must be willing to be a friend over and over.

When you have good friends, you have others with whom you can rejoice, and you have a shoulder to cry on in tragedy. Often, it is in the midst of tragedy that you find who your true friends are.

Many friendships are birthed in the midst of difficult circumstances - the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, an illness and so on. In friends, you can find counsel, and someone who is open to listening to you when you need to speak. True, you could go for a while without friends - and maybe find a cabin in the middle of nowhere. But, over time, loneliness and depression is bound to set in. You could become bitter and have a very sarcastic view of life.

Some people are displeased that they don't seem to have "real" friends. However, often these same people do not show themselves to be friendly. It's not that they're angry all the time, or hard to get along with, but perhaps they just don't take any steps out of their normal path. Without these steps, it is very difficult to make 'real' friends.

I've seen it countless times over the years. People will become part of a church and become upset over time that nobody seemed to ever ask them over, or out to eat. Sure, they'd wave and smile at them or have small conversation, but it never got deep. Often, one must show themselves to be a friend that steps out in order to have friendships.

Are you showing yourself to be friendly? Are you more than an acquaintance? Are there at least two people that would write your name down as a 'friend'?

The last part of verse 24 says that there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. You might of seen this in your own family. Nothing at all against your brother or sisters, but the fact that you are spread out by many miles might have made your support of one another to be only in the 'big' things. When there is a severe problem or a tragedy in any of our lives, we are certainly there for one another, but the mere distance makes our support for one another on a more frequent basis difficult. However, you might have friends nearby that have become your brothers and sisters on whom you can rely. This is where the church has truly stepped in. Certainly, I have friends in other places, but the church has become my family - some are grandparents, some parents, some brothers and sisters - and many, many friends.

Lastly, certainly nobody can match the friendship of Jesus Christ. He is always there and He wants me to stay in touch.