A True Friend

One time when I was wandering through a thrift store, I came across an item with the following poem on it:

Friendship
A friend will stand beside you,
And stay there come what may.
A friend knows you're not perfect,
But loves you anyway.
- Kent Brown

Two thoughts occur to me when I read those lines. First, doing a little bit of introspection, I wonder how I am doing at being a true friend by recognizing another's imperfections but not letting those prevent me from appreciating the good that is there as well. And not just appreciating the good but doing what I can to encourage and emphasize it.

The second thought is that there is one who is not only a true friend, but the True Friend. One who loves each of us despite knowing and fully comprehending each person, including all of the weaknesses, pettiness, selfishness, pride, and a hundred other ugly traits of our character. He knows better than anyone, even better than us, just how far from the mark we fall short. And yet He still loves and stands by us.

In the spirit of the Christmas season, let each of us seek to more closely follow the example of Jesus Christ, our best and truest friend, by trying more diligently and patiently to be a better friend to others.