Real Friend? Or Acquaintance?

I get these awesome daily devotionals from Rick Warren’s ministries, and they are so on point as far as the issues I deal with on a daily basis (I’ve attached the link to the devotionals below). A friend sent this to me via e-mail one day. I had to share this particular devotional on my blog because I want to explore this topic more later.

The devotional below sparked my attention because I had been thinking about my relationships lately, and how I am so quick sometimes to label someone a “friend.” 

Well, we all have so-called friends on Facebook (which helps solidify the confusion of who is or isn’t a true friend). One day I was pondering whether a particular person in my life is indeed a friend when I stumbled upon the devotional. I had considered the biblical definitions of friendship before, but I hadn’t truly considered the people who are there when I need them the most. Friend is a covenant word. It’s a promise or a commitment that goes way beyond a simple contract or verbal agreement. A true friend gets close to the heart. A true friendship goes deeper than a like or dislike on Facebook or other social media. Friend is actually a very intimate term in the Bible. Those who are dear enough to have gained the privilege of being someone’s true friend should take the commitment seriously. People never forget friends, whether the friendship was a good one or a bad one. It’s a privilege taken all too lightly in today’s modern world. A true friend deserves more than a simple text or Facebook shout out. They deserve more than a tweet here or there. They deserve a real investment of time and resources because they are priceless—like the rarest of diamonds. You have to dig for them, and the most authentic are extremely hard to find. 

Real Friends Show Up in a Crisis
 
by Rick Warren

“A friend should treat a troubled person kindly,
even if he abandons the fear of the Almighty.” (Job 6:14 GW)

Real friends show up when you’re in a crisis. Real friends walk into your life when everybody else walks out. It is in a crisis that you learn pretty quickly the difference between acquaintances and friends. You have a lot of acquaintances. Who is the friend that is going to show up in the crisis in your life? 

Did you know that the Bible says that even when people turn their back on God, they still deserve to have friends? Job 6:14 says, “A friend should treat a troubled person kindly, even if he abandons the fear of the Almighty” (GW).

The first thing everybody needs in a crisis is other people. You need a support group — some mature Christian brothers and sisters who will love you, who will care for you, who will comfort you, who will encourage you, who will support you, who will meet your needs, who will counsel you.

That’s why I never stop talking about the importance of being in a small group. Build a safety network in your life so when the rogue winds come you have genuine friends who will be there for you.

You say, “But wait a minute! Don’t you need to pray first?” Well yeah, if you can. But the truth is, in a crisis you’re usually in so much stress and shock that you don’t even know what to pray. It’s at that point that you need other people praying for you.

You need other people to say, “It’s OK. We’ll pray for you. We’ll believe for you. We’ll be there for you.” 

Talk It Over

• Who are the people in your life who will call you to show up for them when they are in a crisis?
• What keeps you from being available and present when your friends are in a crisis?

Who are the people in your life who will show up when you are in a crisis? 

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