“The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.” Proverbs 12: 26(NKJV)
In our daily lives, we often come across a lot of people. Most often than not, the majority of these people end up becoming our friends or acquaintances, without necessarily having the intention to do so. Friendship has always remained a vital aspect of human life due to the sense of belongingness inherent in the human being. Humans are born to long for friendship; humans are created to belong. The most important question to ask however is, are all the people we meet in our lives good enough for us as friends?
The sad, but plain truth is that about two- thirds of the people we meet in life are not friendship materials. Friendship, just like any other aspect of life is very important and requires a careful consideration and a cautious approach. As our quote above would have it, making friends requires just more than sitting back and passively receiving people into your life. There is a conscious effort. In fact, the NET Bible puts it this way: “the righteous person is cautious in his friendship…”
In as much I am tempted to direct this write up only to the youth and the Christian, we cannot deny the fact that most of us have suffered a fate in our friendships or relationships and can bear testimonies to the numerous instances where the these have destroyed the lives of several people, thereby derailing them from achieving their goals in life and ultimately missing the purposes of God for their lives. In the same vein, we can also recount several other instances of how the lives of some people have been blessed and the course of their lives changed forever through the same friendship and relationships. Depending on who is chosen for a friend and how, the institution of friendship reserves the greater force to make or mar a life.
This obvious but painful truth brings to fore some pertinent questions regarding this all-important institution: who is a friend? How do I choose my friends wisely? What do I look for in choosing these friends? In this five part series, I bring you the answers to the questions regarding this important aspect of our human lives as I share my insights on the theme of friendship.
It is my fervent prayer that the Holy Spirit will guide us through this pertinent topic as we all endeavour to remain good and faithful stewards and the perfect example of Christ in this generation.
