Friends

If I asked what the worst thing one kid could say to another, what would you think it was? No, it doesn't involve cuss words. Ready for it? The hurtful, tear-inducing words are, "I'm not your friend!" Oh, the horror that comes after these words. Wailing, violence, telling the teacher...
Children understand the value of friendship. I've seen it used as cash: "I'll be your friend if you give me your chocolate bar" or "I'll be your best friend if you do it my way."

Friendship is very important. I think everyone should have at least one special friend. King David would never have become king had he not had a best friend in Jonathan, Saul's son. In 1 Samuel 20, Jonathan and David's friendship was tested. David was convinced that Saul was trying to kill him, but Jonathan thought Saul would tell him if he had such plans. David replied that Saul knew of their friendship and didn't want to hurt Jonathan unnecessarily. He told Jonathan that he would go hide for three days and miss part of the new moon festival. He asked Jonathan to tell Saul that he's given David permission to attend a family sacrifice. If Saul was angry then he wanted to kill David and, if not, all was well. Jonathan and David came up with a secret system to rely the message. Sure enough, Saul was enraged. Jonathan and David had to say goodbye so David would be safe. Jonathan's departing words were, "Go in peace, for we have sworn loyalty to each other in the Lord's name. The Lord is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever." Although Jonathan didn't want to believe his father was trying to kill David, he trusted David enough to seek the truth. David had to trust Jonathan not to betray him to Saul.

Everyone wants a friend. One day at work, a little girl came up to me during recess and said certain girls were saying they didn't want to be her friend. I told her that I wouldn't want to be friends with people who didn't like me. I told her to find a kid that was kind and wanted to play with her. Knowing that this little girl wasn't always kind either, I said that it was important for her to be kind too, so other children would want to be her friend. Proverbs has several verses on being a good friend.
17:9 states, "Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends." Forgiveness is vital to any friendship. 17:17 states, "A friend is always loyal..." Don't be wishy-washy in your friendships. Always have your friend's back. 16:28 states, "...gossip separates the best of friends." Don't start rumors or share secrets about your friends. Don't say mean things behind their backs. 18:24 states, "There are 'friends' who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother." Real friendship can be more bonding than family. 27:6 states, "Wounds from a severe friend are better than many kisses from an enemy." Friends make mistakes and hurt us sometimes. However, you can trust that a friend's goal is not to hurt you. 27:10 states, "Never abandon a friend--either yours or your father's. When disaster strikes, you won't have to ask your brother for assistance..." David was a loyal friend to Jonathan. Because of this, David was able to depend on Jonathan when he needed him most.
Jesus outdid all these verses when he said in John 15:13, "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." When Jesus died for you and I, he died for his friends. We are his friends, and Jesus is the most important friend we could ever have. Since Jesus said that if we love him, we'll obey his commands and since his command is that we love each other, it's safe to say that if we treat our friends with love and kindness, we are also treating Jesus with love and kindness.
Be a good friend today =)