It would seem that I have a lot of friends. However you want to measure it – the number of people I enjoy spending time with, in various clubs and groups in which I am active. Maybe it’s the number of Facebook “friends” I have. Or the regulars I see at various establishments that I recognize, and that recognize me, and look forward to a thirty second chat when we make eye contact.
But what about true friends? I feel blessed, because I’ve been able to find a few of those along my journey. They are rare, and some people never are able to find them.
These are the friends that tell us when we’re making bad decisions. They tell us when we’re behaving badly. When we’re hurting ourselves, and hurting those we proclaim to love. They tell us when we’re not living up to the potential that they see we’re capable of. It takes a mature person to actually have true friends, because no one likes to hear those things about themselves, and we can feel attacked when a true friend voices their concern. Hopefully our maturity can help us step back from what feels like an attack and listen with a humble heart.
Like so many things, this comes back to love. Love is service. It’s, “what can we do for someone?” A true friend is serving us, by helping us grow.
“We must become the change we want to see” – Ghandi