Friendship

Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me. --Psalm 41:9

One of the most important lessons I've learned since college has nothing to do with a career skill or financial tip. The lesson that has probably most impacted my life since college is that friends should be chosen wisely. There are some people who are fun to hang out with, but I've found that they aren't always the ones I should open up my heart to because they may not be able to handle it when I do. In college and before, I had many people who I called friends who came and went through my life. Since then, I've learned that friends are not the ones who turn their backs on me when life gets tough, they aren't the ones who love to party with me but shy away from real conversations, nor are they the ones who call only when they need something from me. Certainly value can be found in having fun acquaintances to enjoy the company of, but I've learned to distinguish them from the people who walk with me through the valleys and pray for me when I cry. Real friends don't just send flowers, they come to hold my hand when my life is filled with pain, and they encourage me with truth when all I hear is lies. Real friends are hard to come by in a world of users and takers and false smilers. I've learned to recognize them because they are the ones still standing by me years after they first entered my life. They are the ones who remember and celebrate with me the important events in my life. I know my friends by the way they go out of their way for me without a second thought about the inconvenience to themselves, and they know me by the same. I know them as well as I do close family members, and I can say without reserve who they are that deserve the title of "friend" in my life. I've learned by being hurt and betrayed that I must be careful not to freely bestow the title of friend on just anyone whose path crosses mine. Some people do not understand friendship and are not skilled at handling the honor. Others embrace the role of friend as a calling which they handle with grace, love, and care.