What are friends for?

As I write this I am very grateful for different friendships God has brought in my life. I have been blessed with a few good friends. The kind that will stand with me no matter what. This “no matter what” does not mean that they will not rebuke me in love when they have to.

I have learned that Friends are there to love us, to understand (sometimes they fail, but it’s okay), to laugh and cry with us. That’s what friends are for. Yesterday, I was amazed at all the Love I received from friends that believe my Birthday should be special and they made sure I felt loved and special.

My friend Sarah made me the yummiest cookies ever and even if I don’t usually express my emotions so openly, she knows that I felt loved and spoiled.

 After that, I went to teach the Kids at Joy Club International and as I got there I was surprised that they knew it was my birthday.  Emma and Annie (two of the kids there) saw me and they couldn't hide their excitement about my birthday. They almost told me what surprise had been prepared for me. I was totally amazed. That is how it feels to have friends who actually care. 

What are friends for? I can’t really answer this question  to everyone’s expectation but I believe that we need to know that it is okay to let your friends in on some aspects of your life; the good and bad. I don’t know how things in my life would be like if I was one tiny deserted island by self.

Today as I left home for work, I kept playing in my head a song by Stevie Wonder,“that’s what friends are for”. A chorus in that song,

“Keep smiling', Keep shining'. Knowing' you can always count on me for sure, that's what friends are for. In good times, And bad times I'll be on your side forever more. That's what friends are for"

I feel that I have failed in some ways as a friend and I have to sit back and ask myself; Do my friends believe that I will be on their side through the good and the bad?  Can I count on my friends to stand with me all season? Well, I know I can count on my friends. My previous post was on Oceans raging. By the time I wrote that, I was kind of caught in a stormy weather. And I did not want to share it with any one. One of my friends had to ask me why I am not letting people in. I told her, “I have my reasons”.  But my problem did not just go away because I wasn't sharing it. I had to be put in a corner first, and be broken, until I realized that I have friends that actually Love me. Yesterday I talked to a friend about what was going on and sharing that with my friend was amazing. I felt very good after that because my friend was there for me.

I pray that we will be friends that define the true meaning of friendship. It is good to love and to be loved back.  We love to use fancy words like, “we are a circle of friends”. What would being in a circle of friends entail? If we are a  circle of friends,  we ought to love each other and carry one another’s burden. We should also be willing to let others invade some of our privacy. It is much safer than being alone.