A Band of Brothers

During your lifetime you will have two, maybe three, very close friends, the rest will be acquaintances, said 70 years plus and wise Lester Sumrall.
Wise Salomo seems to agree! "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."

Some friends stick out. Or maybe better put, they stick around! For life!

A true friend, is a friend, because he/she is a friend. Not because of opportune circumstance as in this proverbial example - Wealth brings many new friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend.
Many seek the favor of a generous man, and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts. 

The prodigal son painfully learnt this lesson. People who he thought were friends stuck around as long as the money lasted, then they moved on. Buddies might be gold diggers. Friends are different.

Friendship takes time to build. Friends made fast seldom remain fast.

Friendship is proven in difficulties. And it is then it is needed. And such friendship is the one you really enjoy in good times. Bonds forged in shared battles of life are strong and sweet.
Those friends are more worth than gold. Those friendships have been tried by time, challenges, disagreements and possibly conflicts, and they still last.

"Band of Brothers", a TV-series about the US 101st Airborne regiment in WWII illustrated this. A large group of strong willed individuals, not getting along very well, were forged together by the extraordinary challenges of war. They covered the backs of one another. Their lives depended on it. In the trenches of war, lifelong friendships were born that would last for half a century and more. They became a Band of Brothers.

When Jesus went to the Father, the disciples still stayed together. It was not only a shared vision that held them together. It was deep friendship that had been born in the fellowship around Jesus and in the joint struggle to build the kingdom of God.

Who is a friend? It is the one you can go to at times when you have absolutely nothing to offer. Maybe you need help or someone who you can trust completely. A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

The Russians learnt - Ne imey sto rubley, imey sto drusej - Don't have hundred roubles, have hundred friends. That might be a smart survival tactic in an harsh environment. A network of friends might be practical to have, but it goes deeper than that.

Aristotle put it this way -  “Without friends, no one would want to live, even if he had all other goods.” Life without friendship, someone to share good times and bad times with, is awfully empty.

If it is something I treasure, it is the friendship of faithful friends. They don't hold my hands if someone stabs me in the back. They defend me, are honest with me and supportive. And that goes both ways.

I have been blessed with friends in both in Sweden and in a number of countries and cultures. These friendships have grown over the years. I appreciate them very much and am privileged to serve the Lord together with them. We have gone through good times, but also tough times together. We belong to a Band of Brothers!

Friendship might be our biggest asset. Let us treasure it! Let us remain a Band of Brothers!