Friends are friends forever
At times it seems every step of life can be a struggle. That is why we are given friends. True friends stick with us in the hard times; they let us cry on their shoulders. They don’t find time for us, they make time for us. They also celebrate with us when the sun is shining and life seems to be going right. Friends stick with us through every situation, no matter what happens.
Muhammad Ali says that “Friendship…is not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.” Being loved is one of our most basic needs. From the moment of birth, we long to belong. The very first bond we make when our mother looks into our eyes and smiles at us is the foundation of many more relationships to come. But just like every other survival need, this one we learn on our own. As Muhammad Ali said, school doesn’t teach us to love; we need to venture out into the world to learn this great skill.
A true friend is one who is held forever. He or she is ever close, even in times of separation. This message is captured perfectly in a song by Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant. Listen a few times.
The bond with a friend is a powerful blessing in our lives. Sometimes a friend can even grow closer than a brother or a sister; and a friend can sometimes be the only refuge in sight for someone who is struggling. Friends have often given advice and rebukes in people’s lives; and they have been the shoulder to cry on in hard times, and the one to share in laughs and joys in the good times. Without a friend, the world would be a dark place for us.
Even in the perfection of Eden it was not good for man to be alone. The only relationship sufficient enough to push away the bondage of loneliness was another person. When two people come together there is cause for celebration.
Man wasn’t made to live alone; when a friendship is formed, we should hold onto it as tight as we can. But relationships are not created at home, sitting on the couch in front of the television; they are made outside, in the world. If we were to spend all our lives in solitude at home or at a desk at work, we could never learn to experience of having a companion to share stories with and to walk side by side with us through life’s struggles and joys.
