I think I read more into the title, "Friend" than most. A friend, to some, is someone who you meet, who you like, and who you recognize as you walk down the street, and you have the liberty to stop and say hello. Friends, to others, are those people who you know you can always call to go hang out, to grab chinese, to go sledding-- and they usually always come. A friend, to others still, is a person who will bear with you, help you, love you and sacrifice for you.
Recently, a lot of hard things have happened. I turned to my closest friend, my Savior, Jesus Christ, for help. And this is why I love my friends.
He is perfect. He loves me. He never gives up on me. He believe in me. He sees me as I am, and accepts me anyway. He weeps with me. He comforts me. He gave his life for me. He never leaves me alone.
The beautiful thing about having Christ as a friend is that you start to want to be that kind of friend to others. I have a deep, inexpressible love for my beautiful friends. I know that I am not the easiest person to be a friend to, mostly because I require a lot of strength from my friends, especially in times when I am weak and could not possible go it alone. And so when I see them pull through for me, time after time, and every time I see them reach out to make my life better, I feel an overwhelming gratitude that I cannot possibly express in words. These are the people I can trust. These are the people, I know, who like my Savior, won't give up on me.
Love is such a powerful and healing emotion. I think it is what people seek above anything else. I think I learned what charity (love) is from, first, my Redeemer, and second, from my friends. And so the time is long overdue for me to express my love for them. I wouldn't be the person I am now without all of those bearing me up.
The Lord once said to Joseph Smith in liberty jail:
"My son, peace be unto thy soul... Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands."
I apologize for the sappiness of this post, but I want to share my conviction that I know that good and noble friends are blessings from my Father in Heaven in my life. He knows how much I need them, and how much I need the opportunity to be a good friend to others.
God is great.
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