Friends: Our Chosen Family

Friend: Definition

According to most dictionaries, a friend is a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection. True friendship is not one-sided. Each person respects and looks out for the other's well-being. The relationship is stronger than just knowing someone or being acquainted with a person. The relationship goes much deeper than that. In order to be a true friend, three components must always exist.

1. association
2. loyalty
3. affection

We don't have a choice in who our family is. However, our friends are our chosen family. We chose them, and they chose us according to similar likes, dislikes, and things in common. Unfortunately, sometimes we have nothing in common with our own relatives.

Friends are our chosen family who know all about us and love us anyway. They are the people who stand by us through the good times and the bad times. Friends love us unconditionally.

A friend is someone who knows all about you and loves you anyway!

Biblical Friends

There are at least 93 verses in the Bible with the word “friend” in them. For example, Jesus called His disciples “friends” (John 15:14-15).

Other friends in the Bible include:

• God and Abraham
• Ruth and Naomi
• David and Jonathan
• Job and his three friends
• Daniel and his three friends
• Lazarus, Mary, Martha, and Jesus

Some friendships in the Bible stand out more than others.

Jonathan and David

No one can deny that Jonathan, the son of King Saul, and David were friends. It is ironic because David was an enemy of Saul. Jonathan and David's friendship is described like no other relationship in the entire Bible. According to 1 Samuel 18:1, “The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” The two men loved each other. They became one in spirit and loved each other as their own selves.

Before Jonathan died, he and David agreed that if anything happened to either one of them, the other would take care of their family. After Jonathan's death, David did not forget that promise. According to 2 Samuel 4:4, Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth, was crippled in both feet. He was five years old when the news came that Saul and Jonathan had been killed. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, the boy fell and became disabled. He stayed that way for the rest of his life.

When Mephibosheth was older, King David invited him to sit at the king's table. The crippled man was happy because while sitting at the table with others, no one could see that he was lame in both feet. He continually sat at David's table and fit into the crowd like everyone else (2 Samuel 9).

Lazarus, Mary, Martha, and Jesus

Jesus was a close friend to siblings Lazarus, Mary, and Martha of Bethany. Jesus visited them often, and they spent a lot of time together. Jesus loved the family so much that it is stated three times: John 11:3, 5, and 36.

Modern Day Friends

Today, people refer to their best friends as BFF, which means “best friends forever.” The friendship can exist between two women, two men, or a man and a woman. When people think of celebrity best friends, Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King come to mind. Usually, when people talk about one, the other is almost always mentioned in the same conversation.

The two well-known women have been best friends for over forty-four years. They first met at WJZ-TV in Baltimore, Maryland in 1976, where Oprah was an anchor and Gayle was a production assistant. They formed an instant bond. Today, the two women enhance each other's lives. They chat almost every day, go on trips and other outings together, and give each other honest advice. Oprah is the godmother to Gayle's two adult children.

Family and Friends

• We should continually thank God for the family we were born into. Those are the people who love us because they HAVE to.
• We should also thank God for the family He allowed us to choose. Those are the people who love us because they WANT to.

Do you have a BFF?

• 78% YES
• 22% NO

Your Best Friend Quote

Feel free to share your definition of friends or friendship in the comments section below. Also, share a favorite quote about friendship.