A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time. (Proverbs 17:17)
Throughout my life, God has graciously provided several close friends who’ve seen the good and ugly side of me, and through it all, they never left my side. The Proverbs writer explains that a true friend is loyal in the highs and lows of life. Sometimes we can be a dependable friend, and at times, we’ve been a questionable one. A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time.
As God may have provided you with one, two, or many reliable friends, he also calls us to be that loyal friend. Sometimes God will call us to “carry one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2), and other times he will call us to extend grace to a friend who might have recently said or done something hurtful. Maybe this was a fellow believer, a brother or sister in Christ. Paul knowing this might happen wrote, “Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive” (Col. 3:12-13). We can be that friend who loves at all times, because Jesus is our Friend who loves us all the time! We can be that friend who forgives, because Jesus is our Friend who is continually forgiving us.
When you’re experiencing Jesus Christ’s friendship, it will lead you to show grace to the friends in your life. Jesus said, “No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you” (Jn. 15:13-14). Jesus shows us the model of true friendship. He is the true friend who loves at all times, and a brother who is born for a difficult time. Jesus has done this for you, and now he’s calling you to reflect this to that one friend, who needs your forgiveness, who needs your grace, who needs your shoulder to cry on.