Friend by Tina Burton

"Acquaintance! Acquaintance! I can't believe he called me an Acquaintance!" This was the thought that entered my head as I walked home alone after stomping away from someone I thought was a friend. He had introduced me to one of his "friends" But I was introduced as his "acquaintance, Tina". I just kept thinking that it was unfair. We rode to school together in his mom's van and my mom would usually pick us up from school if she wasn't working. Sometimes, we would hang-out at my friend Joe's house. I thought surely all of that interaction would qualify me as a friend.

Of course, much later I would realize that "friend" is a loosely-based term in our society. At my mom's house a few weeks ago I logged onto one of those social-networking sites, that have become extremely popular, only to find friend requests from some people that I have never met. I remember thinking, "I've never met you and I'm sure you've never met me....why would you want to friend-me?"

So, I began asking myself, "What is a friend and how can I become one?" The bible says in Proverbs 17:17, "A friend loves at all times..." In Exodus 33:11 it says that the Lord would speak to Moses as he would to a friend, "face to face". Proverbs 27:6 says, "Wounds from a friend can be trusted..." In verse 10 of the same chapter it says ," Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father..." After reading these few verses, I realized maybe I was just his "acquaintance" and I wasn't much of a friend to my "friends" either.

One of the greatest and most rewarding challenges we can face is being a good friend. We should encourage each other, lifting each other up in prayer, triumphing in our friend's joys and drying their tears when they are in the depths of despair. Sometimes, you might be the only person who can pick someone up from the mire and muck, dust them off and put them back on the road to happiness and all through your friendship.

In conclusion, I leave you with a question to meditate on this week. What kind of friend are you and what kind of friend do you desire to become?

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. but pity the man who falls and has no one to help him 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 chord of three strands is not quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)