Today has been so beautiful in so many ways — the sky, the birds, the sweet words from friends on the internet. Spent the day with my dearest friend and we ate caramel cake and key lime pie! I hope I go first because I could not get through some days without her words of wisdom and her laughter. Friends are one of life’s sweetest blessings and I’m blessed through all my friendships. “A sweet friendship refreshes the soul,” Proverbs 27:9. “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves,” Romans 12:10. I think God wants our friendships to be sacred, based on loyalty and love.

One of the most meaningful benefits of having close friends is you can pour your heart out without worrying about being judged. You feel safe and comfortable with friends. My husband and I had a wonderful friendship that lead to a loving, happy marriage. Friends listen with their hearts and are nonjudgmental. They might encourage you to walk down a different path but they’re not going to drag you down that path. Friends are loyal and supportive, even through difficult times. “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother,” Proverbs 18:24.

“There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.” — Thomas Aquinas

I’m fortunate in my friendships. Most of my friends have a great sense of humor that leads to lots of laughter. When my dearest friend spends the weekend with me, we wear matching pajamas, snack ourselves to death, and laugh our heads off. We’ve both weathered storms in our marriages and families, have held each others hands in the grief of our widowhood. But we can always manage to find something to make us smile and something to make us laugh. We know we’re blessed and we’re very thankful for our 45 years of friendship.

Friends share our pain and our joy and hold our hands in moments of grief. Friends are dependable, love us unconditionally, cheer us up. We just feel better spending time with them. Proverbs 27:9 reads, “Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy, for good friends are like the anointing oil that yields the fragrant incense of God’s presence.” Jesus calls his followers friends which gives us a closer more intimate relationship with God. John 15:15 quotes Jesus, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.” — Helen Keller

True friendship is a gift from God. Proverbs 17:18 says, “A true friend loves at all times.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 speaks of friendship, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone. Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” A woven rope of three stands is a strong friendship, binding friends together for life. Be grateful and thankful for each friend God has blessed you with.

We need to cultivate a friendship with God, too. He loves us unconditionally, offers comfort and strength in difficult times, gives us guidance for a purposeful life. He will always hold our hands and always light our darkness.

“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.” — G. Randolf