What kind of friend are you?

Getting close to the end of the book I've been sharing for the past several weeks. Today's chapter was on friendships. It's one of those that instantly reveal who your friends are - and which ones are best friends. Our friends - best and otherwise - influence us in many ways. Some good, some bad. However, through thick and thin, friends are always there.

One person who had incredible insight about relationships was King Solomon of ancient Israel. It’s said that he was the wisest person who ever lived. During the course of his lifetime, he wrote many wise things about friendships, and we can learn from them today. Here are a few of those truths about real friends:

Real Friends Are Scarce

Solomon wrote, “Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family.” When you develop a deep friendship with someone, value it, because real friends are rare. A true friend ….

Is someone who sees you at your worst but never forgets your best.
Is someone who thinks you are a little bit more wonderful than you really are.
Is someone you can talk with for hours or be with in complete silence.
Is as happy for your success as you are.
Trusts you enough to say what he really means when talking to you.
Doesn’t try to know more, act smarter, or be your constant teacher.

In short, a real friend is a friend all the time. Value the real friends you have. They are precious. More important, try to become a real friend to others. There are few gifts greater than being a friend.

Real Friends Are Refreshing

Solomon observed, “Just as lotions and fragrance give sensual delight, a sweet friendship refreshes the soul.” Every situation in life improves when a friend is involved. When you want to share a fun experience, there’s nothing like having a friend with you. When you’re facing a crisis, a friend shares its weight. C. S. Lewis said, “Friendship is born at the moment one person says to another, ‘What, you too? I thought I was the only one.’” That kind of connection is refreshing, no matter what’s happening in your life.

How do others respond to you? When people see you coming, do they expect to be refreshed and energized? Or do they have to expend energy to sustain their interaction with you? Everyone should be a breath of fresh air to someone in his life.

Real Friends Make Us Better

In the best kinds of friendships, the people improve one another simply by being together. As Solomon said, “You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another.”

Automaker Henry Ford was having lunch with a person and asked him, “Who is your best friend?” As Ford waited for the response, the man hesitated. He wasn’t sure.

“I will tell you who your best friend is,” Ford jumped in. “Your best friend is the one who brings out the best that is within you.”

That’s what real friends do. They bring out each other’s best.

Real Friends Remain Faithful

Have you heard this one? What do you get if you cross Lassie with a pit bull? You get a dog that bites your face off and then goes for help. Real friends aren’t like that. In this world there are plenty of people who don’t care about others. Solomon remarked, “Calloused climbers betray their very own friends; they’d stab their own grandmothers in the back.” But real friends remain faithful no matter what.

Author and pastor Richard Exley said, “A true friend is one who hears and understands when you share your deepest feelings. He supports you when you are struggling; he corrects you, gently and with love, when you err; and he forgives you when you fail. A true friend prods you to personal growth, stretches you to your full potential. And most amazing of all, he celebrates your successes as if they were his own.

You cannot sustain a deep friendship with everyone, nor should you try. But you should cultivate genuine, deep friendships with a few people. And you can be a friendly, kind, supportive person to everyone you meet. You can treat every person as an individual, not simply a business “contact.” If you put others first as people and then worry about business second, you will find you will have lots of friends.

It doesn’t matter if you are the salesman or the customer, a boss or an employee, an executive or a stay-at-home mom. Whatever you do, people will be more inclined to do it with you when you treat them like a friend.

What kind of friend are you? What kind of friend do you want to be?

Blessings!