Friendships are difficult to develop. It takes being honest and transparent with someone you have formed a bond with. More than that, a risk is involved. Anytime you expose yourself to another, you are taking a chance. "Will this person even like me after they find out these things about me?" "What will this person do with what I tell them?" These and other thoughts often race through the mind as your relationship becomes more personal.

Yet, in spite of all the risks involved, it is well worth the effort to develop intimate friendships. The writer of the Proverbs said, "A friend loves at all times," "A man with many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother," and finally, "Wounds from a friend can be trusted." How many of us can truly say we have a friend like what the author describes in the verses above?

Too often we attempt to go it alone. The problem with that is, you are setting yourself up for serious disappointment in the days, months, or years ahead. Who do you call when your world falls apart? Who will hold you accountable? Who will be standing by your bed when your final hours begin to slip away?

Searching for a friend? Come see us Sunday.