{"id":1820,"date":"2022-04-05T05:17:14","date_gmt":"2022-04-05T09:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/2022\/04\/05\/qualities-of-a-friend\/"},"modified":"2022-04-05T05:17:14","modified_gmt":"2022-04-05T09:17:14","slug":"qualities-of-a-friend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/2022\/04\/05\/qualities-of-a-friend\/","title":{"rendered":"Qualities of a friend"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"570\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/img_4399.jpg?resize=800%2C570&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1819\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/img_4399.jpg?resize=1024%2C729&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/img_4399.jpg?resize=300%2C214&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/img_4399.jpg?resize=768%2C547&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/img_4399.jpg?w=1149&amp;ssl=1 1149w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As children we had many friends. For example, children will play  with a little boy or girl for ten minutes at the park and without even knowing their name, they become \u201cfriends\u201d and they want to exchange numbers and have play dates. That demeanor quickly changes as that child starts to grow and mature. As a people we become more selective on who we consider a friend. With God\u2019s purpose I intend to briefly highlight some attributes of how the Bible describes the characteristics of a friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are a few biblical traits found in Proverbs 16-18, 27, and Ecclesiastes 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>A true friend &#8211;<ul><li>Shows love <\/li><li>Gives heartfelt advice<\/li><li>Corrects a friend out of love<\/li><li>Influences<\/li><li>Sharpens <\/li><li>Avoids gossip<\/li><li>Does not hold grudges <\/li><li>Is loyal<\/li><li>Helps in times of need <\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking at that list I can\u2019t help but do a self assessment to check my friend meter and I see where I have room to improve in certain areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Friendship is a mutual agreement between two or more people- it is equally rewarding. As humans we cling to others in hope of creating bonds with one another. From my experience I have learned you do have to be selective of who you consider a friend. The Bible says in Proverbs 12:26, the righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m so grateful to my circle of friends. We have been able to comfort, assist, cry with or for, pray with or for, lift each other up, share and create memories, and do so much more. Like anyone there are friends, associates, and then there is a select few of folks we consider close friends who sometimes are closer to us than our own brothers or sisters- we cherish them all the same but this select few of folks you would give your last just so they wouldn\u2019t go without. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An example of friendship where friends were closer than family is the friendship between David and Jonathan. The letters that Paul writes often highlight his relationships to those who loved, supported, and whom ministered to him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Going back to the comment I made earlier, we must be selective on who we consider a friend. You\u2019ve heard of the word toxic right?! Well there are toxic people- they will seem to be your friend but pray for your downfall. They want nothing more but to see you fail in life. They thrive on negativity and if we aren\u2019t careful, can help lead us to destruction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1 Corinthians 15:33 reads: Do not be deceived: \u201cEvil company corrupts good habits.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My cousin in law has been talking a lot about \u201cprotecting my energy\u201d. I totally agree we have to be mindful of who we confide in, who we consider loyal, who we associate with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As we strive to live more like Christ surround yourselves around people who have similar values. Surround yourself around someone who truly wants the best for you and leads you to make better decision verses the person or people who only seek to use you, keep you foggy, don\u2019t support your positive choices, distract you from God and your family, try to keep you isolated, and most importantly the ones who only seek to corrupt your mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Self assessment: what type of friend are you? What type of friend do you aspire to be? What type of friends do you have? Where can you help your friend? How can you pray for your friend? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m going down my list of people I surround myself and I\u2019m seeking people that lead me to a better relationship to God. Not saying I won\u2019t still socialize with folks who don\u2019t provide that because maybe God will use my love for them to lead them to Christ or depending on their believes help them to be a better version of themselves. I would like to minister to others about the love of God through the way I live, by the way I love, by making better decisions and learning from my mistakes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I would do a disservice to today\u2019s message if I didn\u2019t give a shout out to the very best friend I\u2019ve ever had. (<em>Before I write the name depending on whom is reading this I have two or three folks that may think I\u2019m talking about them). <\/em>The person I am referring to is Jesus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No matter what I\u2019ve done, He loves me. No matter how many times I fall short, He forgives me. It is through Him I will one day reunite with my mommy, daddy, sister, grandma and all the others who passed on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you have a personal relationship with my friend? He doesn\u2019t have a cap or limit on how many friends He has or who He calls a friend. He seeks out the poor, the low in spirit, the prostitute, the drug dealer, the pimp, the desolate and He calls us His beloved. He made the ultimate sacrifice for you and I when He laid down his life for you and I. If you want His number, just call out His name, He is there for you! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today I encourage each of us to be a better friend and to love one another as Christ loves us. Encourage and lift one another up. Pray daily for one another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Sidebar: Married folks let us never forget our spouse was our friend before they became our love, soul mate, heartbeat, husband\/wife. Sometimes we get lost in life with all of our responsibilities, taking care of the kids, being  a caregiver, work, school, etc. With all of that said, make it a priority to make time for one another. Keep the friendship alive, pray daily for another, communicate and listen, be open and non judgmental, be your spouses biggest cheerleader, show and give respect, honor each other, be a safe space for one another, keep Christ at the center of your relationship, realize your spouse is human and will make mistakes and deserves grace and understanding <\/em><\/strong>(<strong><em>correct out of love verses ridicule and criticism), always give 100 percent verses 50\/50, learn how to compromise, remember your spouse is not a mind reader so clearly State your wants and needs and make sure you address and work towards meeting the wants and needs of your spouse (all within reason of course), have fun, and remember the same person you fell in love with as a friend is still the same person you are married to today (people change but love doesn\u2019t). <\/em>THIS IS A WISDOM NUGGET IM SPEAKING TO SOMEONE TODAY (I\u2019m taking this in to incorporate this in my own marriage- Lord if only I knew this earlier, the heartache I could of avoided BUT thank God I know now).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In closing, sing with me a few lyrics of the song Dr. Neal loves to sing during worship service, What A Friend We Have In Jesus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse\">\ud83c\udfb6 What a friend we have in Jesus<br>All our sins and grief to bear<br>And what a privilege to carry <br>Everything to God in prayer<br><br>Oh, what peace we often forfeit<br>Oh, what needless pain we bear<br>All because we do not carry<br>Everything to God in prayer \ud83c\udfb6 <\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>Seek good influence and be a good influence. If you don\u2019t have an earthly best friend or even if you are looking for a deeper friendship, call on my friend Jesus. He is the best friend you could ever have. God loves you and so do I! Now go improve or repair those relationships, forgive and ask for forgiveness. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As children we had many friends. For example, children will play with a little boy or girl for ten minutes at the park and without even knowing their name, they become \u201cfriends\u201d and they want to exchange numbers and have&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/2022\/04\/05\/qualities-of-a-friend\/\" class=\"readmore\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Qualities of a friend<\/span><span class=\"fa fa-angle-double-right\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[16],"tags":[76],"class_list":["post-1820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-strength","tag-friends4life","content-layout-excerpt-thumb"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1290,"url":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/2020\/10\/15\/im-glad-weve-got-one-another\/","url_meta":{"origin":1820,"position":0},"title":"I\u2019m glad we\u2019ve got one another.","author":"Whitnee","date":"October 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Do you have a specific time when you hear God\u2019s voice more clearly? For the last year or so it seems like around the 1 or 2 am hour I hear God speaking to me in every way. Sometimes it\u2019s the post I see after checking Instagram, a song, a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"#Friends4Life\"","block_context":{"text":"#Friends4Life","link":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/tag\/friends4life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/img_1577.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/img_1577.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/img_1577.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/img_1577.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/img_1577.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2113,"url":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/2022\/10\/04\/a-prayer-of-persistence-our-blended-family\/","url_meta":{"origin":1820,"position":1},"title":"A prayer of persistence: \u201cOur blended family\u201d","author":"Whitnee","date":"October 4, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Growing up in a blended family I only saw what my parents allowed me to see. Being a child I didn\u2019t know the struggles and joys of the head of the household and his wife managing two households. They never told me about the division amongst the children nor did\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Coping with change&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Coping with change","link":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/category\/parenting\/coping-with-change\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/d19f149a-e6b1-4a1a-8b3b-2d395355828e.jpg?fit=940%2C788&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/d19f149a-e6b1-4a1a-8b3b-2d395355828e.jpg?fit=940%2C788&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/d19f149a-e6b1-4a1a-8b3b-2d395355828e.jpg?fit=940%2C788&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/d19f149a-e6b1-4a1a-8b3b-2d395355828e.jpg?fit=940%2C788&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1405,"url":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/2021\/01\/19\/ill-always-have-your-back\/","url_meta":{"origin":1820,"position":2},"title":"I\u2019ll always have your back.","author":"Whitnee","date":"January 19, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Out of the blue I got a text message from Jamika inviting my boys to the skating ring. I\u2019ve noticed family skate night is a tradition that Jamika and her family have adopted quite some time ago. I didn\u2019t have anything planned and thought anytime we could get the kids\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Encouragement&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Encouragement","link":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/category\/parenting\/encouragement\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_2182.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_2182.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_2182.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_2182.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_2182.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2404,"url":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/2023\/10\/29\/its-her-story-to-tell-but-it-was-the-ride-home-for-me-that-was-confirmation\/","url_meta":{"origin":1820,"position":3},"title":"It\u2019s her story to tell but it was the ride home for me that was confirmation!","author":"Whitnee","date":"October 29, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"For several weeks now we met in preparation for Youth Sunday. It seemed like initially we worked together and at times she may have felt it was a solo project and she was all alone. Little did she know, she was never alone! Feelings of being overwhelmed, frustrated, pressed and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Strength&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Strength","link":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/category\/strength\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/img_6014-1.jpg?fit=519%2C498&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":181,"url":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/2019\/09\/23\/growing-into-myself-9-24-19\/","url_meta":{"origin":1820,"position":4},"title":"Growing into myself.  9.23.19","author":"Whitnee","date":"September 23, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I attended a birthday party tonight for a friends brother. This family had recently lost their dad and this was the first birthday after the tragic lost of their dad. I was tired, had a long day of work, but something in my spirit said \u201cgo\u201d. So as I sat\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":359,"url":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/2019\/11\/13\/thankful-thursdays-11-14-19\/","url_meta":{"origin":1820,"position":5},"title":"Thankful Thursdays    11.14.19","author":"Whitnee","date":"November 13, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Tomorrow I would like to share with you an insert that I received from one of my most dearest friends. It's entitled \"Bear Witness' and it is written by Pastor Steve Garnaas-Holmes. Scripture reading comes from Luke 21: 10-13 She said the article made her think of me. So I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Encouragement&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Encouragement","link":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/category\/parenting\/encouragement\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbfCFX-tm","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1820"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1820\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspirationallaroundme.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}