What Makes a Good Friend?
I posed this question to Lulu as a foundational aspect of our conversation on friendship, the next frontier in our series exploring relationships, LOL!
We both agreed that a good friend is honest and reliable (see Prov. 18:24 and Prov. 27:9)…that is, they will love you in truth even when/if that truth is a bittersweet one. They will tell you difficult truths and stand up for you when you shortchange or endanger yourself. Ultimately, it is your life, and a good friend can only go so far in being that, but he/she will always lead in (sometimes uncomfortable) truth and wisdom.
The other marker of a good friend is that they act as and bear witness to our lives. They make us feel seen and affirmed. More than that, they walk with us through all of life’s many seasons, and it is in the difficult ones that a good/true friend is borne. Our friendships are acts of service more than what we can get from them. In loving people in the structure of friendship, we exhibit a very Christ-like love because their tears are our tears and their joys are our joys. Galatians 6:2 says “Carry each other’s burdens and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Get into our conversation as we had a WHOLE lot more to say on the subject and do comment below any thoughts or additions that may come to you as you listen!
Hey girls! Oh my goodness, such depth. Thank you for a very analytical discussion on this topic we hardly take time to understand. Have missed these discussions. Love hearing these voices. Wonderful.