Deception; a common way to find your true friend

So lately I’ve learned that people can be quite deceptive. They will be your best friend one minute, and spreading rumors about you the next. They say they will always have your back, but is that really true? What is a true friend? I have to say that in my 17 years of living, I thought that I have had a lot of “true friends” and now I am coming to the terms of I really haven’t. But somehow I am okay with that. And I think that was the biggest surprise to me, that I am okay with the fact that I have never had a true friend.

I remember once having a conversation with a particular person and them telling me “I have never really had a true friend.” And I think that was when I really starting thinking that ‘Wow, I never really have either’. Well, except for this person that is. I think that they really are my only true friend. But what is a true friend? Is a true friend one that you can hang out with and make you laugh? While that sounds all fun and games, what happens when you are doing something that you shouldn’t do? Is that “true friend” going to care enough to tell you that you shouldn’t be doing that? Or that maybe you are making an mistake on something that you are really determined that is what you are supposed to do? Probably not. I have come to the conclusion that I think we really only have two true friends in our lifetime. One, being Jesus. He is always going to be there, he always has your back. He would never say anything bad about you, and he will tell you when you are doing something wrong. On top of it, he died for you. How many friends do you have that would stand up and take pure humiliation and torture and die for you? Probably, more often than not, none. But I believe that the second true friend is and should be your spouse. And for many people this is not the case. And I feel sorry for them. Watching my parents interact with each other for the last 14 years, I can honestly say that they are each other’s best friend. Of course there are times where they fight, everyone has times where they fight. But when they are not, they are the best of friends. And obvisouly I'm not saying that everybody should now go out and base their marriage on my parents, but just hear me out.

My mom’s job sucks, and if you know her, you know that. And there are times where she will come home crying, and my dad will just say “Hey, don’t let it bother you. She (being my mom’s boss) is a pig, and she is just jealous of you”. And she really just needs someone to say that to her. A true friend will do anything to make you happy. They will submit to your needs, and put you first. Always. They will help you grow in many ways immensely, and you will also do the same for them. They will teach you things you never thought you needed to know, they will help you see things you never saw before. But isn’t this what the Bible tells us our spouses will be like? See the connection here? So sit down right now, and list off every friend that you have ever had. How many of them could you call a true friend, from those standards? For some, maybe you already have your true friend. Hold on to that person. You never know what could become of them. They are going to continue to help you grow, and learn, and see things differently. They will always have your back no matter what. They will support you, and love you, and they don’t care if you have a cool car, or the latest video game. Because they are a TRUE friend.