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BY SUE STATON

Sun Columnist

Much has been said about friendship. I have written about friends before. Through the years, one finds out which friends are true friends and what friends are your friend as long as everything is going well with you or what that person can get from you.

However, I have easily learned those friends were not your true friends. I have been blessed with some true friends and they are worth more than gold to me.

The Bible speaks about friendship. One verse is from Proverbs 18:24. It reads, “A man who hath friends must show himself friendly.”

Though I have only known a lady who is new to our community a very short while I am amazed at how infectious her friendliness is. She joined the homemaker group I belong to. We have all felt so blessed to have her in our group. Jan Conn immediately fit in and we have felt like we have known her all our lives.

Jan is friendly to everyone she meets and makes everyone feel like you are her best friend. She is always ready to help in anyway she can. She always is upbeat and has a big smile on her face. She is a person you feel will always be your friend and someone you immediately want for your friend.

You have certain friends who you know will be there for you no matter what. Grace Easley penned a poem that is beautiful entitled, “What Is A Friend?” Part of it goes, “A Friend is someone tried and true, that you can tell your troubles to, A gentle smile, a happy face that makes the world a better place. A friend is someone that is yours as long as time and life endures. Sharing cherished moments when you know you never need pretend.”

The rest of the poem is beautiful too. If you get the chance to read it, do so. The way I see it, you should be able to be yourself and not have to change for someone to like you. Of course, if there is a huge difference in your lifestyle, you do not have to be best friends but that does not keep you from being friendly to everyone.

The more friends one has, usually is a good measure as to how good a friend they have been to their friends.

What kind of friend are you? Have you checked on your friends and their well being? Have you let your friends know how much they mean to you?

Do you have those friends that even if you have not talked for a while with that friend you still know nothing has changed between the two of you?

How friendly are you when you meet someone new? You know some people are not as outgoing or have gone through some major losses in their lives. Unless you are friendly to them you may not be aware they need a friend.

I have found out once in line at Walmart the Lord has led me to get in conversation with people only to know they were going through pain. When I told them I would pray for them, how grateful they were. Once in Kroger, I saw a lady in the produce section who was crying and I asked her if there was anything I could do to help. She unloaded her burden to me. I held her hand and I prayed for her right there. Again I was thanked from the bottom of her heart. Sometime a prayer is all you need to give.

With St. Patrick’s Day soon to be here, it may interest you to know that an Irishman named Joseph Scriven wrote the beautiful hymn of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” When he was a young man, he was engaged to be married to a lady he had know and loved for a long time. The wedding date had been set and the preparations had been made for the wedding. However, right before the wedding, his bride-to-be accidentally drowned. He fell into deep sorrow. Because of this sorrow, he realized how much his dependence on Christ was.

Part of the song goes: “What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!”

This is where I want to end. If you feel you have no friends or no one to depend on, you can always have a friend in Jesus. What better friend can you have? He does listen to you.

You may have to wait for an answer to some things because God’s timing is always right. I have asked for things that I did not get immediately but God waited and I realized it would not have been good to have gotten all the things I have asked for. I have seen immediate results before and have felt when my prayer was answered.

Another thing I am sure some of you have more friends than you may realize. Sometimes one just gets down on themselves and do not realize how many friends they really have. Just keep being the friend you want to have. Friendship does not need to be bought.

Sue Staton is a Clark County native. She is a wife, mother and grandmother.