Day 10, Monday, November 25
Read:Proverbs 18
A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. (v. 24)
The prodigal had oodles of friends in the far country – as long as his inheritance held out. The minute he ran out of cash, he ran out of friends. More than just telling great stories, Jesus (and Solomon) spoke truth.
As I think about the little things I can take for granted, deep friendship is one of them. The friends close by when family is hundreds of miles away. The ones who don’t care if I have money or not. The ones who’ve proven they haven’t sought me out “with hours to kill,” as poet Kahlil Gibran once put it, but “with hours to live.”
One of the best descriptions of friendship I ever heard came to me on a little pocket calendar with “anonymous” as its source: A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words. Yes.
When you’ve forgotten your own song, the world will find you wanting and perhaps toss you on the garbage heap. A true friend won’t do that. They’ll remind you of your own lyrics and melodies – the things they’ve watched you overcome, the faith you’ve shown, the prayers God has answered. They’ll remind you that you are loved, not for what you can do for them, but for who you are.
Hallelujah for the friends who stick closer than even a sibling.
As you pray, name a few deep, meaningful friends and thank God for them.
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