What qualities should the perfect friend? Should they be loyal and dependable? Should they be available when we have need? Should they be generous with their time and resources? Do we hold ourselves accountable to be the type of friend that we expect others to be for us?
Colossians 3:12-13 gives us a list of qualifications for the person who desires to be a good friend and Christian brother or sister. It says, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
That is quite a list. Notice that it differs from the list in the first paragraph. The first paragraph lists things we expect a friend to do for us. The Colossians’ verse lists internal attributes, or the kind of person who makes a good friend. It is abundantly easier for us to be the first paragraph type of friend because it just requires certain actions from us. To be compassionate, kind, humble, meek, patient and forgiving requires changes in our hearts. Most of us do not sustain these attributes over time.
Let’s ask God to build these internal attributes in/into our lives so that we can become true friends and even brothers and sisters to others. Our relationships will certainly change for the better as He works these qualities into our lives. Jesus possesses these attributes in abundance, so He can surely work through us in transforming us to be like Him.
Reluctant Retiree 