“He gave his best friend a kidney and now he is at home recovering.”
“Wow! Now that is what I call a friend. I don’t know many friends who would give a family member a kidney too willingly, let alone a friend. I wonder if that friend will always appreciate their friendship.”
-A conversation between me and my amazing mother.
I don’t think there is a universal standard for measuring the true example of a friend. Granted Christianity has taught that a friend sticks closer to you than a brother and that no greater love has any man than to lay down his life for a friend. Those are two really big standards to live by, but besides that I believe everyone has their own definition of what friendship is. I believe that friendship is an amazing form of relationship and quite possibly the one that most people miss out on and end up neglecting. I truly am a believer that those who have friends have treasures that can’t compare to the most beautiful diamonds in the world. I know for some they may not have experienced this incredible form of human relationship, but for those of us that have you know you can’t find it anywhere else.
A friend is defined, “one attached to another by affection or esteem,” Miriam-Webster Dictionary. I wonder who you are connected to by affection or esteem. Who do you call your friend and do they really call you a friend. Over my life I have had many friends (well so to speak), but I honestly know that for the most part I’ve been a real friend to people. I really enjoy being friendly, meeting new people, and I enjoy making people laugh. I really enjoy having friends, but most of all I enjoy the love that is shared between a group of people. I’m not talking about cliques or false communities of friendships, but true genuine people that you can call your friends.
How do you measure friendship? Do you measure it on the amount of money your friends let you borrow? Do you measure it by the amount of times your friends have said the things you wanted to hear? Do you measure your friendships on how easily you can take advantage of them or how easily you can manipulate them? Do you measure your friendships on what your friends can do for you? Do you measure your friendships based on their popularity in comparison to your own? Is friendship with you exclusive and set aside only for the elite?
I don’t know how you measure friendship, but here a few lines on how I measure friendships:
I know you are a friend when we can miss so much time between each other, but when we reconnect it is as though we never parted.
I count you as a friend when every once in a while I laugh at some crazy thing you did when we were hanging out.
I count you as a friend because you were there for me in some difficult point in my life and you didn’t judge me, but you prayed for me or you encouraged me.
My friend was there when no one else showed up to celebrate with me.
Sometimes a friend will let you down, but tries to make it up to you.
A friend will be honest with you and tell you what you need to hear.
Friends will go to war for you and won’t stand by idly when someone is trying to harm you.
Friends share their moments of great happiness with you and can’t have those moments without you being there.
Friends are not for a season only temporary acquaintances are for a season. Again a friend may not be with you every day, but you know they care and when you get around each other you start back where you left off.
I know I’m your friend when I have to give you my all. I shed tears with you, I shout praises with you, I embrace you, I love you no matter what, I get upset with you, and I forgive you. If I give my all I know that I count you as a friend.
A friend sticks closer than a brother.
Hopefully you have friends that will be willing to give a kidney to you.
How do you measure friendship?
