A Friend That Sticketh

I was going through my blog and found this draft that I never posted.  I am not sure why, but here it is, now!

Proverbs 18:24b...there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

Well, my brother and I are not very close anymore, and I have narry a one sister, but I think that I know what this verse is referring to. I've got friends that stick closer than blood. I have had 4 good friends in my life. Excluding Riky, of course, he has plenty of his own posts. And he is my BFF, anyway, whether he likes it or not.

The first two were in High School. We were inseparable. We did everything together. Our names were always intermingled when spoken and, in our case, there was never an odd man out mentality. Trouble really does come in threes. A, A, J. Our initials are even carved into a piece of cement in our hometown. I was back a few year ago and checked. They are still there. It was a wonderful feeling to know that we were always there for each other. Due to really bad choices of theirs and my getting saved and striving toward the straight and narrow before getting a criminal record, we parted ways in our 20s. I have made many mistakes over the years, but I am glad that I took the path that I did, even though it meant loosing them.  I think of them often, but have no way to contact either of them and I am not sure that I would want to know how bad it is now for them. It was bad the last time I saw each of them and without the Lord intervening, I don't see them swallowing their pride and climbing out of their self imposed gutters. I do love them and pray for them often. I will never forsake them and hope that they will always remember that I am that friend that sticketh. That is one of the reasons why our phone number has stayed the same for so many years and we are relatively easy to track.  (side note, I have found them both on facebook since I origionally wrote this post years ago.  They are both alive and doing relatively well but have gone through some really rough times and sacrificed alot because of sin that took root when we were teens together)

Now, on to the present. I have friends. Sisters--confidants--lovely, Christian, like minded women. We differ in backgrounds, sizes, shapes, colors, styles, number of children, wisdom, spiritual gifts, maturity in our faith and so many other ways that I am amazed that we ever find anything to talk about. But after many marathon phone calls, I am satisfied that we must be able to find something. My friends are so very dear to me. I love everything about them and each of their families. I trust them with my boys and love their children as my own. I also love their husbands, in the purest sense of the word. I am humble enough to say that they are each my superior in ways of the Lord. I love them. I don't know what I would do without them. I feel like our hearts are meshed together in so many ways. They are there through thick and thin, good and bad, richer and poorer (which is more often than not). It is as if we spoke some type of friendship vow. They are my friends that sticketh closer. I can't say how much I missed having really good friends. Not because I don't know how much I missed it, but because by having Sherri and Debie in my life I realize now that my friends from high school weren't "sticky" friends. I love you both. Thank you for letting the Lord work in our lives to bring us to be the dearest of friends.