Reflect

What do you look for in a friend? Loyalty? Fun? Shared interests? The book of Proverbs has much to say about the nature of friendship. True friendship is about quality, not quantity. A real friend is someone who will stick by you when hardship comes knocking. Someone who influences you to be the best version of yourself. Someone who isn’t afraid to say the thing you need to hear, even if it hurts.

Friendship isn’t always easy. If you struggle in your friendships, whether it is in finding true friends or in keeping them, first examine the kind of friend you are. Do you match up to the description of a true friend in these verses? Then take a look again at Proverbs 13:20. Are you currently walking with people who make wise choices? 

Not all friendships are the same. Sometimes we are given opportunities to develop friendships with people to whom we give more than receive, or vice versa. But we all need at least one true friend in our lives, who builds us up, points us to Jesus and brings out our best. And that’s the kind of friend that we want to be to others as well.

Respond

As you think about your current friendships, would you say that you “walk with the wise?” Why or why not? 

What qualities do you look for in a friend? If you’re a parent, what qualities do you teach your children to look for?

Have you ever had a friend who influenced you to be the best version of yourself or who said something hard that you needed to hear? If possible, send them a text today to thank them for their friendship.