Let’s face it. You only have so many really close friends in a lifetime. True friendship takes one quality that we often overlook, and that’s courage.
Here are the 5 Cans of a truly courageous friendship:
- A courageous friend can be bothered. You know what I mean. They can go out of their way when you need them. They can be there. Not only can they go out of their way when you need them, they can rearrange their schedule.
- A courageous friend can be there. It’s one thing to be bothered. It’s another thing to get in your car and come to wherever your friend needs you to be. Email, text, these are all great gifts. But sometimes you need to be there, eyeball-to-eyeball, to truly be a friend.
- A courageous friend can be inconvenienced. By that I mean they understand that friendship is going to cost you something. They are willing to rearrange their schedule to meet your needs.
- A courageous friend can be honest. We’re told in the Scriptures to speak the truth in love. That’s a hard thing to do. It’s a balance between honesty and compassion. But a true friend is willing to walk that tightrope, to be honest in a way that he can receive it and benefit from it.
- A courageous friend can be counted on. Proverbs 17 says, “a friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity.” It’s easy to promise friendship. It’s another thing to be counted on when the chips are down.
How many friends do you have like this? Are you a courageous friend to someone? Do they know it? Have they sensed it?