Again, kinda long but specially you younger girls take the time to read it through... Exhibiting godly traits in a friendship is no easy task. Being a good friend at all times may seem impossible, but throughout the Bible, God gives clues on good friendship. One example: Jonathan and David were best friends — even though Jonathan’s father, Saul, despised David and even tried to kill him. First Samuel 18:1 says, “Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.” How can you model your friendship after the devoted friendship between Jonathan and David? Consider these scenarios and what a loving friend would do in each case. When Times Get Tough You’ve shared secrets and fun moments with your best friend, Kaitlyn, since grade school. Those days seemed easy. Now Kaitlyn’s parents are getting divorced. Her grades have dropped, and she’s withdrawn and not much fun. Do you walk away from the friendship? Or do you support her and comfort her through this time? You can easily be a friend when life is good, but how does your friendship handle difficult circumstances? Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times.” In times of trouble, we discover our true friends. Would you rather be known as someone who is loyal and trustworthy or a fair-weather friend who only sticks around for the good times? In Job 6:14, we’re told, “A despairing man should have the devotion of his friends.” Job should know because he lost his family, livestock and servants. However Job’s friends didn’t provide the support he needed. Vow to be dependable. Looking Past the Hurt Last year, your friend Tammy decided she’d rather hang out with Ashley and Alexis, the most popular girls at school. The new school year arrives, and Tammy changes her mind, deciding she misses your friendship. She apologizes for deserting you and says she wants to re- establish your friendship. Do you forgive Tammy and agree to be friends, or do you snub her? God’s Word clearly says we’re to forgive others, whether we’ve been hurt by friends or enemies. Take a look at Ephesians 4:32, which states, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Bottom line: A true friend forgives. Pray that God will give you a forgiving heart. Being a Truth Teller Trina has been your friend since elementary school. You both contributed to taking the basketball team to state two years in a row, and you’re both dating two cute brothers from your youth group. You’re shocked when Trina tells you she has been doing drugs. She begs you not to tell anyone. What do you do? “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses” (Proverbs 27:6). When you see a friend participating in something that is against God’s Word or against the law, gently assist her in getting the help she needs to change her priorities. Pray for God to help you tactfully address the situation and lead you to the correct person of authority to help your friend. A true friend doesn’t keep secrets that could be life threatening, dangerous or harmful. Loving the Unlovely A new girl has moved to your school. She wears shabby clothes and lives in a trailer park with her family. You learn that her father suffered an injury at work and has been unemployed for six months, and her mother has an illness. You’ve befriended her and have become close. Teens at school make fun of her and call her names. Do you stand up for her and risk being ridiculed yourself, or do you stand idly by and watch your new friend be tormented? Jesus tells us in John 15:12-13, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” A good friend sticks up for her friend instead of letting others make fun of her. When in doubt, remember how Jesus befriended those who weren’t “model citizens.” God wants us to be more like His Son, Jesus, who was a friend at all times. Pray that you’ll be the kind of friend God wants you to be: loyal, devoted, nonjudgmental, forgiving and honest. Pray also that God will bless you with a friend who has the same traits — because one of God’s most awesome gifts is the gift of a true friend.