Proverbs 18:24 (King James Version)
A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
 
Proverbs 18:24 (New Living Translation)
There are "friends" who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.
 
 
Friends. How many of us have them? I remember those plastic flashlights under the blanket as we talked about our day at the amusement park...still eating pink cotton candy and laughing at some grownups' refusals to get on the roller coasters. I remember us taking a needle from my mother's sewing kit so we could prick and press our fingers together. 'Now we share the same blood and you'll always be my sister.' I also remember that at this very moment, she is still in Michigan and I am in Georgia and we haven't seen each other for years. More specifically, the reason that we know anything about what's going on in each others' lives is because we belong to the same virtual network. We've both grown beyond the days of pigtails and Barbie dolls and we've both connected with others that are closer than blood. And then, there are the 'friends' that you love to smile at and joke with because you know what these friends say when your back is turned and you have an idea of what that 'friend' thinks about you. They all make me smile. You see, because of the friend that I have in my Lord; I can live my life, love my enemies, and leave the strife behind. And it's His friendship that allows me to cherish each and every one of those friends. My 'friends' push me to do what my Father has planned for me to do and my friends help cheer me on as I do it.