There once was a man whose life seemed to be a success by many standards. Someone said to him one day, "Tell me the secret of your life that I too may make mine beautiful."
The man simply replied, "I had a friend."
The Apostle Paul had happy memories as he looked back across the years of his life. When he wrote to the Christians in Philippi, he said to them. “Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart” (Philippians 1:3–4 MSG).
Very few of us realize how truly important our friends are to us. Take a moment to think about the contributions they make and the impact they have on our lives. Whenever you think about your friends, it would be good if you followed Paul’s pattern. Pray for those who impact your life in positive ways. Thank God for them. It has been said that when we come to the end of our life, we are really blessed if we have had even two or three true friends who stood the test of time.
So how do we go about making sure we have good friends? On Facebook you send an invitation to someone asking if they would like to be your friend. Some answer yes, some ignore your request, while others boldly decline. But in life, outside of Facebook, that is not the way we gain friends. The old saying, known by so many of us, is still true: “To have a friend you must be a friend.”
Instead of awkwardly asking if someone will be your friend, it is much better to set out to be a friend others would like to have. We need to treat others with respect. If you see someone in need, help him or her. When you see someone who seems down try cheering them up.
When you become interested in others, and your actions show it, you will gain friends.
May I make two suggestions?
First, if you are one of those fortunate people who has a few good trusted friends, pray for them and let them know what they mean to you.
Second, decide that you are going to be a better friend to those who come into your life.
Do those two things consistently and when you come to the end of your life people will say, “Oh my! All of you are his friends?”
Gary Bailey