Soul Sisters by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.
One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).
Do you have friends whom you can trust? Has the LORD provided godly friends who pray with you, who are honest, and whose counsel you seek?
It’s important to have friends with whom we can be transparent. It is also my conclusion that there is wisdom in keeping an inner circle small. Otherwise, we cannot be a good friend if we are spread too thin. However, even with inner circle pals, we have to remember that they are not perfect. And we, too, are not perfect friends.
Earlier this year, I let a close friend down, and I felt awful about it. Because of a jam-packed schedule, when I needed to comfort her during a time of loss, I failed to do so. However, I am grateful that she forgave me and showed me grace, just as we need to show our friends grace when they fail us.
When I think of a friendship example in the Bible, King David’s bond with Jonathan, the son of King Saul, comes to mind. 1 Samuel 18:1-3 provides a beautiful picture of their relationship: “As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.”
Do you love your close friends like that? Do you have “soul sisters?” You laugh when they laugh. Grieve when they grieve. You pray with them and encourage them. You do not betray a confidence and guard against ever hurting that friend. Competitiveness is a problem amongst women but there is no competition amongst soul sisters because you desire the best for them.
I believe that is what true friendship looks like and that is the kind of friend I want to be. Who are your soul sisters?
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