by Frank King

I believe everyone wants to have a friend or some friends. No one in his or her right mind wants to be friendless. God did not create us to live alone. His desire, among other things, is for us to build wholesome relationships.

But what is a true friend? The reason I pose this basic question is because of huge social networks such as Facebook. Some users have tens of thousands of "Facebook friends." Because of the resulting casual use of the word "friend," I believe a serious blurring of the line has occurred. Facebook friends are not real friends. Most of these so-called friends, you will never meet, not once in a lifetime.

So, again, what is a true friend? "A friend loves at all times," the Bible says (Proverbs 17:17). That means a true friend loves unconditionally. You see, if a person abandons us because we have disappointed him or her, that person is not a true friend. If our relationship with another person is contingent upon us always doing the right things in that person's eyes, we have not yet found a true friend.

Who wants a friend you have to live your life trying to please? That would require you to lose yourself in the process. Unfortunately, many people have those kinds of "friends." A true friend is a person with whom you can be comfortable, as opposed to intimidated, being yourself.

It should be abundantly clear that a true friend is not easy to find. In fact, it's safe to say that true friends are few in number. Most people you meet will not qualify to be called a true friend.

Nevertheless, it is worth the investment for us to seek out and to find a true friend or two. Perhaps some of you reading this post are feeling as though you are on top of the world and you don't need anybody. But I submit to you that life will not always be that way. Not that I wish for you to be visited with trying times. Nor do I wish to see you just blow it to the point of personal humiliation. It's just that that's a part of life.

Doing such times, having a true friend is priceless. If you already have such a friend or friends, treasure them and consider yourself extremely blessed. If you don't, time to get busy. Seek and you shall find.

Copyright 2012 by Frank King. All rights reserved.

Frank King is a former church pastor. He is currently an evangelist and an author. Frank holds a Master of Theology degree. Through the grace of God, Frank has been blessed to cross cultural lines in his preaching. Website: http://www.efrankking.com
Blog: http://wwwefrankking.blogspot.com/

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

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