“The man of many friends [a friend of all the world] will prove himself a bad friend, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24, AMPC).

The best kind of friendship is the one where the other person is your friend just because. It’s not because you’re popular or attractive or talented or know the right people. Some people just like you for you and choose to be your friend, no matter what.

Those are rare. Those are the ones you need to cling to and hold on to and never let go for as long as God allows, because those are blessings from God. Those are the roots of a tree that stay firm as opposed to leaves on the same tree that blow with the wind and never settle down.

I’ve always heard that Proverbs 18:24 speaks of Jesus as the friend who sticks closer than a brother. I know that another passage speaks of Jesus dying for us while we were yet sinners when most of us would hardly lay down our lives for our friends. Jesus instead laid down His life for us while we were His enemies and far from God.

That’s the kind of love that you see in those unconditional friendships. Those are the friends who will believe in you when you can’t believe in yourself. They will believe for you when you can’t believe. They will keep pointing you to Jesus and modeling Jesus to you until you start to look more like Jesus.

Those are the best.