The Necessity of Friends in Real Life and In Stories

Who’s Your Ride or Die?

We all have those people we couldn’t imagine life without.

The ones who hold you accountable, who call you out, who encourage you, cry with you, and laugh with you.  

Friends are a beautiful gift–to know we were never meant to do life alone and to have community makes life more enjoyable because we have others to support us along the way. 

Proverbs 18:24 tells us there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

I’ll let you in on a secret.

If you’ve read any story, you’ve probably noticed a plethora of side characters.  

Those characters aren’t there just to make good side characters whose need their own period in the limelight with a story of their own.

Those characters actually help support the hero and heroine in their own journey.

Just like we have friends in life, characters need them too. Those who will share the truth, remind them to get up and keep going, and who have their back. 

Have you ever experienced a lonely season?

Where you seemed to be walking through the desert, parched, and searching for community? 

I’ve been there. It’s an isolating feeling.

There were nights where tears were my closest companion, and I clung to the truths found in the Bible, because there was nowhere else to turn.

In those moments, I learned the beauty and intimacy of a relationship with Jesus. 

Perhaps you’re stepping into college, or a new job, or everyone around you is getting married, here’s the truth. 

No matter what life brings, no matter who comes and goes, Jesus will always be constant (Heb. 13:8).  

Praise God for His faithfulness! 

Yet, God also knows it is not good for man to be alone. He created us for community and companionship. There are countless “one another” passages in Scripture. 

It is good and right to have healthy, wise friendships. 

I prayed for years for those types of relationships, and in God’s timing and ways, He provided!

If you are in a season of loneliness, run to Jesus and don’t be afraid to boldly ask Him for a community of wise friends. 

If you have friends in your life who are sticking close to your side, praise God, and thank those people! 

And the next time you read a story, watch how the author weaves those side characters in to help the hero and heroine along their journey. 

For His Glory,
Laura