In-your-face Forever Friends

As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

Proverbs 27:17

Proverbs 27:17 suggests, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” An in-your-face friend is one who will tackle the tough issues of life with you—someone who is not offended if you disagree with him and someone who is not afraid to disagree with you. You both have higher goals than agreement.

Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” The best way to determine who your “forever friends” are is to go through a crisis. Adversity is like a filter—it separates those who are loyal from those who are not. You cannot tell your true friends until adversity appears. Your friends may not even know whether they are loyal friends until they are asked to identify with your suffering. It is easy to be a friend when things are good and pleasant. But the number of people who will stand beside you decreases as the temperature of your crisis goes up.

How does one get that kind of friend? By being one. Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly.” How many times have you proven yourself to be a forever friend by sticking close to someone through their time of trouble and adversity?