Are you a friend? Do you wish you had more friends? Do you wish you had better friends?
To answer these questions, we must first define the word “friend”:
American English Dictionary – A person you know well and like a lot, but who is usually not a member of your family
Oxford Dictionary – A person who acts as a supporter of a cause, organization, or country by giving financial or other help; A person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations.
According to these definitions, a friend must NOT be your family, meaning you aren’t supposed to naturally be close to them, it takes effort. A friend is someone you know WELL, you know what they like to eat, what their favorite color is, how they like to be treated, what their hobbies are, what their strengths and weaknesses are. A friend is a SUPPORTER of someone else’s cause. A friend GIVES time, money, advice, or anything else that helps the other. A friend is someone that BONDS with others, glues together with another.
I DISLIKE people, and I’ve been one of those people, that says things like “Oh no, you poor thing” after someone has vented their problems to you and that’s all you do. You say a phrase like that and just walk away and continue with your comfortable life. If you are that person right now, I have to be honest with you and tell you that: YOU ARE NOT A FRIEND.
A friend is someone who will listen to your struggle, pull up a chair, sit beside you and listen. Then, that friend will INVEST time on you and your friendship, by either giving out advice if needed, helping in whatever way possible and sticking by you through THE ENTIRE ORDEAL. As you’re reading this, you’re probably nodding your head in approval and thinking back to when you needed “that type of friend” and never got one. I’m not talking about your friends, I’m talking to YOU as YOU being this type of friend to others.
Friends are everywhere my dear. The hard work is going out there and MAKE SOME. To have a friend means to BE a friend. Be the friend to someone that you want to have in your life. INVEST YOURSELF.
In Wall Street, there’s one rule: If you want to make money, you have to put money down. You have to invest money.
In Life, there’s one rule: If you want to have friends, you have to lay yourself down as a friend. You have to INVEST in friendship.
Lay down your life for your friends. There is no greater love than this. John 15:13
Now, you’re probably going. Hey, hold on! I can’t die for a friend. Only Jesus can do that. Well, sometimes DIE, doesn’t mean physically leave your body behind. It means put YOUR needs on hold and lay down your time for a friend who needs comfort. It means put down the phone and speak to each other face-to-face. It means pick up the old-fashioned phone and CALL that person to wish them a Happy Birthday. It means get in your car and drive 2 hours to hug someone who is going through a tough time.
Yes. Being a true friend means investing money, investing time, investing effort and getting up and out of your comfort zone and move your behind.
TODAY (notice I don’t say tomorrow), get up, pick up that phone and go be a TRUE FRIEND to someone. That someone may be your grandmother that you haven’t spoken to, your friend who lives in a faraway place or even that homeless person on the street.
DO NOT BE A “OH, YOU POOR THING” KIND OF PERSON. BE A “PULL-UP A CHAIR AND STAY” FRIEND.
