True Friends Do!

vEarlier last week as I was driving to meet a friend for lunch, my heart was heavy. It was laden with various thoughts of loss, illness, and nostalgia. As I drove I asked God to lift up my spirit and help me through these moments of sadness. I reached the meeting point and as I parked my car and joined my friend in hers, I began to relax.
She began to tell me as she drove on to our destination about her last two weeks. As usual she was quite busy and also dealt with situations that were somewhat overwhelming and restless. But, as she spoke, I knew she was victorious because she would refer to “letting go” and ” letting God” help her through all that came her way. Her victorious spirit certainly encouraged mine!

During our luncheon conversation she revealed something that impacted me and gave me that ” warm, fuzzy feeling” in my heart. She told me, “Years ago, God told me, you and I would become friends, and I scoffed at the idea.” I just listened. ” And, look, here we are, friends, sharing with each other.”

We had a lovely time of sharing and tearing up and encouraging one another. The time flew by! The Bible tells us that ” A friend loves at all times…” I realize that true friends are few. True friends are real and have gone through the gold and silver purification process. It takes intense heat to refine gold and silver. And, God uses this refining process to clear out all that is within our heart and gets in the way for us to put our total trust in Him.

My friend, has gone through this process and her refinement has been a blessing to me. I need such a friend; one that prays for me, encourages me, appreciates me with my flaws and blemishes and is there to just listen. The Apostle Peter wrote, “These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold which perishes even though refined by fire —may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

The tough times come to refine our faith and purify our heart. It definitely helps to have a friend that has gone through the process several times to be there with you to cheer you on and make certain you get through every intrusion that comes your way, with the help of the Lord.

Too many people are the “capricious” type of friend. They’re around as long as they get something from the friendship and leave when they no longer get from the relationship. They are simply takers and not givers. 

What kind of friend are you? What kind of friends surround you? It’s a good time to assess yourself as a friend. I want to be the kind of true friend the Bible encourages. These friends make such a difference in one’s life. I want to make that difference, my friend, don’t you?