What qualities of a friend do we find most valuable? One statistic said if a man has one real good friend in a lifetime, he is blessed. We are social creatures craving to be liked and valued. Psalms chimes in and says in order to have friends we must show ourselves friendly. In today’s social media, a friend is one who signs on to our media account. But real friends are a gift from God. They are discrete, forgiving, attentive and available. Real friends will tell us when we are flaking, insensitive and even go so far to tell us we could be wrong. Often our response is to trade them in for someone less intrusive. But a true friend doesn’t get offended easily.

Patience is a virtue because time will often reveal the end of a matter. If our friend is right, then we have two options. One is thank them for their insight and concern or dispose of them like a commodity that is more precious than gold. If you have such a friend, count yourself fortunate. What you do have is a friend in Jesus. He is not partial, but loving and straight. He doesn’t play head games or play favorites. He is said to stick closer than a brother. Abraham was a friend of God’s. That position is available if we make room for Jesus to be that one true friend. But true friendship is said to be a two way street… right?