The Gift of Friendship

Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one’s friend springs from his earnest counsel. Proverbs 27: 9

With grateful hearts on this 14th day of November, we thank God for those friends and loved ones who give us their love, encouragement,and counsel.  

Who are the people you can count on in your life to be there when you really need someone to confide in, to offer understanding, to encourage you, and to give you loving counsel?

This verse from Proverbs tells us that just as a sweet fragrance can bring pleasure to our lives, so can genuine, kind, and loving friendships. We need people in our lives who truly care about our happiness and well-being. Just as there are no boundaries to love, there are no limits on friendships. Age, or any other differences, are of no concern. A bond of friendship may form quickly, or it may take years to grow, but it always begins in the heart, and there it stays.

These friends may be people we have known all our lives, or those we met in school, or at our jobs, at church, or at social functions. They may be our spouse, our parent, our daughter or son, our sibling, a cousin, our boss, a co-worker, or a neighbor. Whoever they are, we are so grateful to call them our friends.

A friend is anyone we know we can count on for their companionship, loyalty, understanding, honesty, and their kind and loving counsel. They love, accept, and respect us for who we are, and they are more than willing to make sacrifices for us. They may mentor us through their words and the way they live their lives without either of us realizing the impact they have. They listen to our problems, know what we need, and help lighten our burdens. They make us laugh and add to our contentment and joy.

We can trust a true friend to always care about what is going on in our lives and to always be there to offer their loving advice. They will be honest and tell us what they think is best for us. Even if we don’t want to hear it or agree with it, we can always know that they have our best interests at heart. Because we do know how much they care, we are more than willing to consider what they are saying and weigh if it is best for us. Sometimes God may even use a friend to lay something on our hearts or to offer some much needed guidance or direction.

Friends are one of the wonderful ways God takes care of us, especially if we are friends together in Christ. We can encourage and lift each other up in faith and offer His godly counsel to each other. Such friends make us stronger because of their encouragement, their prayers, and their love. What a sweet aroma they bring to our lives! May we let them know what they mean to us and show our appreciation to them.

Are we this kind of friend to others? Hopefully, they, too, are able to count on us with the same loving support and encouragement. May we bless their lives and bring joy to their hearts!

Prayer

Dear God, we thank you for the gift of friendships and what they bring to our lives. May we be open to their loving counsel and let them bless our lives. May we too be the sweet fragrance of friendship to others and bring them encouragement and joy. Amen