You've got to show it

This morning I'm out the door to have coffee with one of my very good friends. We try to get together one morning a week. Doesn't always work because of our schedules, and for a while there it seemed like we were both either out of town or on the go a lot. Recently we changed from Thursday to Wednesday, but this week it's Friday. Sometimes I buy the coffee, sometimes he buys, usually we just get our own.

I usually bring my Bible, and he mostly does too, but don't necessarily open them every time. At one point in my life it would have bothered me to say that, but now it does not. The things that we discuss are things that are important in our lives- our families, our church, our work. Sometimes we discuss things that are not important at all, like all the beautiful chrome on my Harley. Sometimes he will ask me what I've been reading, which I love to do but is kind of a luxury since my children are 13, 6, and 2 years old. He and his wife don't have kids so in some ways our lives are very different.

We share a lot in common, but the main thing is I trust him. I trust his heart and I trust his head. I value what he has to say, and I know he cares. We don't always have the same perspective on everything, which is good. We all need that. He's my friend. I am thankful to say that I have been blessed with some close and supportive relationships. Many of them have been formed at the Branch Family Church.

Proverbs says that if you want friends, you've got to show yourself friendly. A friend loves at all times. There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. A friend listens. A friend tells you the truth, when it feels good and when it doesn't. A friend watches your back and supports you when you're not there. If we want to have friends like that, we've got to be a friend like that. If you want a friend, you've got to love and you've got to show it.