Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter:
whoever finds one has found a treasure.
Faithful friends are beyond price;
no amount can balance their worth.
Faithful friends are life-saving medicine;
and those who fear the Lord will find them.
Those who fear the Lord direct their friendship aright,
for as they are, so are their neighbors also.
—Ancient Jewish Proverb
A question I answered for 412teens recently touched my heart. The questioner was in despair because she couldn't seem to find another girl to click with, to confide in, to care about, who would care about her too—a best friend forever. I encouraged her to pray for that BFF and to never stop praying.
I've always been the girl who could go and talk to most everyone, but I had a hard time finding a friend that I really clicked with. My "best friends" were people who couldn't understand my faith, or couldn't understand the hurts and burdens I carried, or who lived states away, or who invariably drifted away. This lasted throughout high school and most of my college time. Sure, I had friends. Even some absolutely wonderful friends. But not a best friend.
So, I made a list of what I wanted, and I started to pray for her. I wanted a girl-friend (friend, not a romantic interest), someone my age, who could be that "iron that sharpens my iron" person to me (Proverbs 27:17), a girl who could understand my heart and my faith, who could laugh with me, cry with me, challenge me, help me love God more. The list continued on and on. (I still have this list in one of my journals.) It was honestly a ridiculously high order, and I don't know that I ever honestly expected God to grant me everything on the list.
But you know what's cool? God answered that prayer. He answered it so specifically that my best friend is exactly 12 hours older than me. Since we share a birthday, for the past 7 years, we have celebrated together. She and I became roommates after we graduated from college. I was her maid of honor. And her baby girls are as dear to me as any child of my own could be.
If you're out there looking for a BFF too, I would like to encourage you with this: Don't ever stop praying for that friend. They will appear when you least expect them, and they probably won't much look like you expect them to. But you will know when you find them. You'll be laughing together, then suddenly realize that THIS is the friend you were praying for.
—Brianna
Brianna is a manager at her favorite childhood bookstore. She is likely to be found curled up with a book and her black cat, Bear, talking to a stranger, dancing outside in a thunderstorm, singing Disney songs while making cookies, or snuggling her best friend's baby while drinking coffee. Her heart is fueled by the desire to help people find their unique wings and use them in whatever capacity God has created them for. She is passionate about seeing and finding Christ in the secular world wherever she can.
