Genuine Friends

Well now, pull up a rocking chair and lean in close, ’cause I’ve got a word for you straight outta Proverbs and the front porch school of life. Proverbs tells us, “A friend loves at all times,” and honey, that means all times: rainy days, stormy days, and those days when your biscuit falls butter‑side down.

Truth is, life gets wobbly. Some days feel like trying to sit on a three‑legged stool with only two legs left. That’s when God plants a “solid tree‑trunk‑of‑a‑friend” in your life, the kind you can lean on without fear of falling flat on your “blessed assurance”.

But here’s the part most folks skip: real friends don’t just clap for you when you’re shinin’ like a new penny. Nope. Sometimes they march right into your personal battlefield, look you square in the eye, and say, “Sugar, you’re wrong, and I love you enough to tell you.” And as much as we don’t want that, mercy, that’s exactly when we need it.

Fair‑weather friends will run for shade the moment things get messy. But the real deal, the God‑sent, battle‑tested, prayed‑up kind, stick in there with you in the lean times, the mean times, and the “Lord‑help‑me‑what‑is‑it-this‑time?” times.

Where do these treasures‑of‑a‑people come from?
• First off, they’re gifts right from God. Don’t toss ’em aside like yesterday’s newspaper.
• Second, they’re proven over time, those same folks who held your hand in the valleys and hollered for you on the mountaintops.
• Third, they share the same spiritual home base. You believe together. You grow together. You show up together.

Now, I bet there’s a friend popping into your mind right this minute. Thank the Lord for ’em. Then go on and call ’em. Tell ’em you love ’em. It’ll warm their heart and yours, too.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the true-blue, loyal, knee‑slappin’, heart‑lifting friends You’ve placed in my life. Bless them, guide them, protect them, and let our friendship always honor You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Go on now. Carry some laughter and gratitude with you today. They’re good traveling companions for a soul loved by God and held by friends.

With joy,

Gwen