Song: “True Friend” by RhythmAndLifelines

Good morning, everybody.

As we get our day started, I want to spend a few minutes talking about something that I believe is one of the greatest blessings we can have in this life: true friendship.

We live in a world that has a particular definition of wealth.

When we hear the word rich, we usually think about money.

We think about houses, cars, investments, bank accounts, possessions, and all the things that somebody has accumulated.

But I’ve lived long enough to understand something:

You can have a lot of money and still be poor in the things that matter most.

And you can have very little money and still be one of the richest people in the world.

Because if you have people in your life whom you can genuinely call friends, you possess something money cannot buy.

True Friends Are Part of Our Wealth

The Bible says in Proverbs 17:17:

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

I love those words: “at all times.”

Not just when everything is going well.

Not just when you’re successful.

Not just when you’re fun to be around.

Not just when you have something to offer.

A true friend loves at all times.

As I’ve said many times over the years, true friends are there through the good, the bad, the happy, and the sad.

When you’re celebrating, they’re celebrating with you.

When you’re hurting, they’re hurting with you.

When you accomplish something, they don’t become jealous or threatened by your success.

They’re happy for you because your victory doesn’t diminish them.

And when life knocks you down, they don’t stand over you reminding you that you fell.

They reach down and help you get back up.

That’s friendship.

Sometimes Friendship Is Simply Being There

One thing I’ve learned is that friends don’t always have to know what to say.

Sometimes there aren’t any words.

There are situations in life where somebody we care about is hurting, and we desperately want to make things better.

We want to say the right thing.

We want to solve the problem.

But sometimes there isn’t anything to fix.

There isn’t anything to explain.

There isn’t some magical sentence that’s going to make the pain disappear.

Sometimes your friend just needs you to be there.

Sit with them.

Listen to them.

Let them cry.

Let them talk.

Or sit in silence.

Your presence can say what your words cannot:

“You’re not going through this by yourself. I’m here.”

That’s one of the greatest gifts one human being can give another.

True Friendship Gives You Permission to Be Yourself

There’s another quality that I’ve come to appreciate about genuine friendship.

It’s comfortable.

When you’re around people who truly know you and genuinely love you, you don’t have to perform.

You don’t have to impress them.

You don’t have to pretend that you’ve got everything together.

You don’t have to carefully manage every word because you’re afraid that one mistake will destroy the relationship.

You can simply be yourself.

They’ve seen some of your strengths, but they’ve probably seen some of your weaknesses too.

They’ve seen you have good days.

They’ve seen you have bad days.

They’ve heard you say something you probably shouldn’t have said.

They’ve watched you make mistakes.

And guess what?

They’re still there.

That’s a beautiful thing.

True friends don’t love the image you’re trying to project. They know the real you and choose to love you anyway.

And, of course, that works both ways.

Friendship Must Be Mutual

That’s important because genuine friendship isn’t one person constantly giving while the other person constantly takes.

Friendship should be a mutually beneficial relationship.

That doesn’t mean everything is always fifty-fifty.

Sometimes your friend may need ninety percent from you because they’re going through something.

And another season may come when you’re the one who needs ninety percent from them.

That’s life.

The point isn’t keeping score.

The point is that both people value the relationship enough to invest in it.

You encourage each other.

You challenge each other.

You support each other.

You celebrate each other.

You tell each other the truth – even when the truth isn’t necessarily what the other person wants to hear.

Proverbs 27:17 says: “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

A true friend shouldn’t simply make you comfortable.

A true friend should sometimes help make you better.

Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

And here’s something I want us to think about this morning.

If you have those kinds of people in your life, don’t take them for granted.

We sometimes give people their flowers after they’re gone.

We talk about how much they meant to us.

We tell everybody else how wonderful they were.

But they never got to hear it.

So maybe today is a good day to change that.

Call somebody.

Send a text.

Tell that friend: “I appreciate you.”

Tell them: “I’m glad you’re in my life.”

Tell them: “We’ve been through a lot together, and I’m grateful you’re still here.”

You don’t need a birthday.

You don’t need a holiday.

You don’t need some special occasion.

Friendship itself is the occasion.

A Different Definition of Rich

So as you go into your day, I want you to think differently about wealth.

Count your blessings, but don’t count only what’s in your bank account.

Count the people you can call at two o’clock in the morning.

Count the people who know your story and haven’t walked away.

Count the people who celebrate when you win.

Count the people who sit beside you when you lose.

Count the people who pray for you.

Count the people who tell you the truth.

Count the people around whom you can simply be yourself.

And if you can think of even one or two people like that, understand something: You are rich.

Maybe not according to Wall Street.

Maybe not according to your bank statement.

But in one of life’s most important currencies—you are wealthy.

Because true friendship is something money cannot purchase, success cannot guarantee, and possessions cannot replace.

So cherish your friends.

Be there during the good, the bad, the happy, and the sad.

Celebrate with them.

Cry with them.

Laugh with them.

Pray with them.

And sometimes, when there is absolutely nothing you can say or do to make things better, just sit beside them.

Because sometimes the greatest thing a friend can say is not spoken at all.

It’s simply: “I’m here.”

And that’s our thought for this morning.

If you have true friends, you are truly rich.

Have a blessed day—and if somebody came to mind while you were listening to this, don’t just think about them.

Reach out and tell them what their friendship means to you.