¹⁷ A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.

Proverbs 17:17 [NKJV]

There is this rather well known saying and understanding that says that you’d really know whether someone is a true friend when you are going through some sort of adversity in your life and you reach out to them. You may have had many years that seems like good friendship or relationship with that person, but when it comes to the moment when you truly needed them, will they still be there for you? Or are they just fair weather friends? Friends that are only there because it benefits them in some way. They are only there because it is convenient and easy for them during the fun and easy times.

As I have recently experienced in my life, you could build some of the “best” relationships and friendships that you thought you had, only to learn the harsh truth that when things are really inconvenient for them, they would avoid you and block you from their contacts. The thing is, whatever friendships you might have today, even if they may seem to be in your “best friends” group, or maybe what you might consider to be your “bff”. But really, I don’t think we will truly know if they are just a BFF, or are they going to be like sisters and brothers? Hey, a BFF is honestly still just a friend, maybe a much better friend. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they will really stick with you when you are going through the worst grinder in your life.

Common Misunderstanding

As human beings, we sometimes make that mistake of assuming that we can rely upon and count on our friends, maybe even the better ones like our BFFs. But we never truly know for sure until those relationships/friendships have been put to the test. There is this saying, the real character (or dependability) of a person will often be revealed during difficult times. I believe that saying also applies to our relationships and friendships. It’s always fun and easy to have lots of friends when everything is going well in our lives. Everybody wants to become friends. But it is when things become tough that we will find out if any of them are truly going to be there still.

So it is my lesson and wisdom now that it’s okay to still have friends. It’s about to build those relationships with people and build them well. But don’t assume that just because you have built those really good friendships and relationships, that they would automatically become the people you can count on during challenging times. Oh, God, thank You for this precious lessons and showed me who the true friends in my life are. Thank you for showing me that many of those “friends” and “relationships” I thought I could depend on during challenging times, they are really not the true friends that I needed. They are not the “brothers” and “sisters” that I needed in my life.

Being a Brother or Sister for Others

That is what I believe today’s daily bread reflection is about. It is also a lesson for all of us, believers, non-believers alike. A lesson about how to be more than just a friend to others, but also to become their brothers and/or sisters. Yes, it is always true that we can never assume that other people will always be able to do the same to us as we did for them. But that should not be the condition of dictating how we should be treating them. What we do, and how we act and respond to someone who needs help is less of a reflection of who they are, but who we are. And as believers and Christians, it’s a direct reflection of who Jesus Christ and God is. Would Jesus or God abandon us when we really needed help? No. They will continue to stick with us, watching over us every single day. Likewise, we ought to be the same with the people in our lives that we consider to be friends, or even best friends. Don’t just be there when things are easy and convenient and fun. It is when it is the most inconvenient for us, that our love for them will be tested like no other. That is when us being there will matter most. And I know that one day, God will judge us for the relationships and people that we have abandoned and those we have stood by when it’s most inconvenient for us.

Personal Prayer for Today

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for speaking to me every single day, including today’s verse. Thank You for the reminder of what it means to be a true friend, and more than that, to be a brother and sister towards others in their greatest times of need. I am grateful for the most recent experiences and struggles in my life because they have also helped to reveal the true nature of my relationships and “friendships”. Those that I have considered to be friends and thought would stand by me turned out to be those who would block me from their contacts because helping me would be inconvenient for them.

Thank You for the precious reminder and lesson about what it means to be a true and genuine friend to others. But more than just being a friend, You have thought me (and us) that it is important for us to conduct ourselves better than that. That we ought to be brothers and sisters to those in need. It may not be inconvenient for us when they need our help, but it is also during this difficult/challenging times that our actions and behaviors will one day be judged by You.

Father God, as I come before You today, I pray and ask that You will gave me the strength and the ability to also be there for the three brothers that I’ve met in recent times. The ones that surprisingly stood by me when I really needed help. Without them, I honestly probably wouldn’t have made it. Thank You for also bring them into my life and revealing them to me at such a time in my life. I am so grateful and thankful that I’ve gotten to know them and have them in my life.

I vow to give You all of the praises and all of the glory. In Jesus’ name that I pray.

Amen.