A Good Friend

This Sunday’s sermon was about needing a few good friends. It was a great sermon and really hit home with me. It was all about our need to feel connected and have people stand with us during our time of need. In the scripture she read two of Paul's friends voluntarily gave up their freedom to travel and help him while he was a prisoner. How many of our friends would go to jail with us. Foxy once told me that if we robbed a bank together and she gets caught I might as well stop running because she is telling it all - down to my mother's maiden name. She was only half joking. The truth is most friendships are conditional. What we all really want is that "Ride or Die" friend.

I was reminded again this morning about how important friends really are because there are some SIMPLE everyday things that we need friends to remind us about. Here is a list of examples.

1.       It is never a good idea to get a face tattoo. Lil’ Wayne, The Game, Gucci Mane, Kat Von D, Mike Tyson, Souja Boy and OchoCino all could have used a good friend on the day that they came up with the bright idea to ink their faces. I mean what kind of friend would let a grown man get an ice cream cone or a butterfly on his face.

2.       Don’t rush onto the elevator. Friends need to be there to remind us to relax and slow down sometimes. Running into people who are unsuspectingly getting off the elevator does not get you there any faster and really just ends up making you look like a jerk.

3.       The way your clothes fit matters. Your friends will let you know when an outfit does not look good on you. They know that it might hurt your feelings and will usually try to tell you the nicest way they know how, but a real friend will at least warn you before leaving the house that your underwear are showing, your stomach is hanging over or that your shirt/skirt is see through in the light.

4.       Always check your teeth before the meeting. Most people at work are not your friends and they will not tell you that you have lipstick or spinach on your front teeth. A friend will tell you because they consider you to be a reflection on them and know that when you look bad they look bad. Friends are not just embarrassed for you. They are embarrassed with you.

5.       You are not fooling anyone. A friend will tell you to stay home when sick or hung over or to come clean about taking a mental health day or whatever. Friends will remind you that everyone either already knows or will know as soon as you post those pictures on Facebook. A good friend would have told you to never “friend” your boss in the first place.

6.       Stop wasting your life. It takes a hardcore friend to tell you when you are totally wasting your potential. I have a friend who called and asked me why I was wasting my time, talent and education on a job that did not even appreciate me. I was annoyed at the time, but it really helped me get myself together and start gathering some perspective.

Real true friends are hard to come by. They are the one’s who call us on our crap. They tell us when those jeans make us look fat; tell us when our attitude needs adjusting, tell us when we need more Jesus and sometimes call Him for us. Friends will let us know when our priorities are out of whack. They make you cry and then tell a joke. When you find one you will know because nobody will piss you off more for loving them.