As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to realize the truth behind the old saying,
“It’s better to have a few good friends than many superficial ones.”
When I look back, I realize I’ve enjoyed the friendship of many different people. While I’m grateful for the memories I’ve shared with all of them, I can honestly say that the most meaningful relationships have come from the few which have grown deeper in trust, dependability, and loyalty over time.
Those people have made all of the difference.
I did a little research on what it means to be a good friend. As it turns out, there are “13 Essential Traits of Good Friends” according to Psychology Today. Here are some of them:
- Trustworthiness
- Honesty
- Dependability
- Loyalty
- Trusting of others
- Able to experience and express empathy
- Non-judgmental
- Good listener
- Supportive in the good times
- Supportive in the bad times
- Self-confident
- Able to see humor in life
- Fun to be around
There is power in presence.
Friends have the ability to comfort, provide security, encourage, and gently (or maybe not-so-gently) remind you to keep things in perspective when you seem to forget.
What I’ve found is the Bible has laid out some essential friendship traits within it too! While some of them are the same as those I stated above, here are a few additional important traits to add to the list:
- Shared hope in the Gospel (Colossians 1:3-5)
- Ability to forgive (Colossians 3:12-13)
- True generosity (1 John 3:17)
- Selfless Love (Philippians 2:5-7)
- Peacemakers (Colossians 3:15)
- Ability to gently admonish one another (Galatians 6:1)
When I was in elementary school, my best friend was a huge Pokemon fan. Soon enough, I owned a set of trading cards myself. We would call each other at 4:30 PM every day to discuss what happened on that day’s episode, which had aired thirty minutes prior. A few years later, my best friend was a cheerleader. Although I’d grown up as a tomboy, hating anything to do with frill or bows or anything pink, I soon found myself wearing dresses, braiding my hair, and even
(*gulp*)
wearing LIPGLOSS.
Whether we realize it or not, we are being shaped by the people we surround ourselves with. As Christians, we have the ability to take the love, care, support and friendship God has shown us, and deliver it to someone else in need. It may not feel like we’re doing much, but the power of a true friendship can make all of the difference in the world.
“The ground is level at the foot of the cross. None of us are any better or worse than the other. We’re all just walking each other home to Jesus.” | Ashley Abercrombie
