Friendship is one of the most important aspects in life. Without a comrade by your side, you can feel pretty empty. What would life be like to go to the movies by yourself or shopping at the mall solo. What would you feel like if you had no one to greet you with a hug and smile when you entered into a room or invite you over for what I call the three f’s of necessity….. food, fun and fellowship? What if you had to deal with a death of a loved one all on your own? With no one to hold your hand in silence or be your strength when your knees are to weak to stand? It would be horrible. Life would be miserable and lonely. We were made to be connected to others. We all have a place deep within us that needs to be needed and excepted and friends fill that place. Have you ever seen just one girl go to the bathroom, no, they go in packs. Why? Because we need each other for comfort, advice, acceptance, love, and to be needed back.

Okay…. the real reason we go to the bathroom in packs is because your girlfriend be like… “Girl, that lipstick don’t match that skirt, wipe it off and put this on. Bobby is out there,  you gotta look smokin and while you at’it fix your hair! It be sticking up in the back! Never mind girl- I got it, just fix your face!” LOL!

If you have a friend that’s got your back like that, tell them how much you love them today! Because, lurking behind every “friend costume” with that lovely smile, is a monster that wants to squash your goals and your potential. With one side of their mouth they say, “Your my friend and I love you!” with the other they say to another “friend,”- “Did you see Missy’s lipstick? Uck, what was she thinking? She looked like a clown!” Insert hideous laughter here! Warning, these are not your friends, these are imitators and dream nay-sayers. They do not have your best interest at heart! Friends are loyal and generous and go out of there way for you at all cost to them.

We are created to have communion with each other. It brings us self-worth and satisfaction to be someone’s friend. It makes me feel wonderful when someone wants to be in my company and holds me in high esteem. I feel satisfied when I can do something special for someone to make them feel wanted and valued. Friendship can make all the difference in the world to someone. The one who feels worthless and misunderstood can become something of beauty when given the gift of friendship. We are all like that in a way. We are introverts, trying to find our way to something beautiful in this big world! Kind of like a caterpillar, cocooned and alone, but one day they break free of that cage of isolation and join all their now beautiful friends in the sky and together they soar to new ground. Friends should be that for you! I’m quoting the most popular book in the world since…. like forever when it says, the second is this, to love your neighbor as you love yourself. There is no greater commandments than these. The Bible! The first commandment of course is to love your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. I don’t think it is coincidence that you are to love God first with your everything. Why? Because without understanding His friendship first, which is the truest, we cannot be the friends we desire to be to others! He is all those things and more. We can learn something from Him! So, I challenge you today to ponder….. do you love your neighbor as you love yourself? What does that look like? Examine your friendships and see if there are a few friend costumes parading around your circle or maybe your the friend in a costume of love and acceptance!

I encourage you to be a friend to someone so you can have a true friend for yourself. Gossip, slander and backstabbing are things that do not make for a true friend. Be a trendsetter and bless others with your tongue and actions. Give of yourself freely and don’t expect anything in return! Love those who want to discourage you and make you feel small from a distance. Surround yourself with like minded people. Ones who value your gifts and talents and see who you really are. Be the one who sees those very things in others. True friends do not ride your coat tails waiting for you to fail, they soar next to you incase they need to bounce you back onto your feet incase you fall!

My true friends worth is valued more than a diamond to me. Diamonds are, beautiful, rare and sought after, but are very pricey. A true friend is just the same, but you cannot buy true friendship. It is priceless, therefore more valuable than any rare jewel! Regard the worth of those who have been placed in your life to be uplifting stairs if you will, that transport you up to your ultimate life and avoid those who have been sent to be detours and cause you to become lost in the abyss of ordinary.

Be a true friend today and love those that truly love you! They make your world a better place!

REMEMBER, CHASE YOUR DREAM! BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRUE!