A Friend Like Me
Read:
John 15:10-15
Memorize:
Proverbs 17:17 A friend loveth at all times. A friend loves at all times.
How about you?
What kind of friend are you? Do you refuse to listen to gossip -- or to spread gossip -- about your friends? Are you "wishy-washy " -- willing to play with someone on one day, but not the next? Be a friend that others can always depend on. Be the kind of friend God commends -- one who loves, no matter what.
Kathy came bounding into the house. "Mom, you'll never guess what happened!" she said. "Linae's aunt in England sent her some British money -- five one-pound coins. Some of us stopped to see them after school, and Linae let us pass them around. Jana left before the rest of us did -- and you know what?" Kathy didn't wait for an answer, but hurried on. "When we left, one of the coins was missing!" she reported. "Everybody thinks Jana must have taken it!"
"Oh, I'm sure Jana wouldn't have done that!" exclaimed Mom. "Did you see her take that money? Did you ever see Jana take anything that didn't belong to her?" Kathy slowly shook her head. "As her friend, you should have stood up for her and told Linae that you don't believe Jana would do that."
"But who else could have taken it?" asked Kathy. "We looked everywhere, but it's gone!" She glanced at the clock. "Oh, no!" she groaned. "I told Jana I'd walk to the library with her in half an hour, but now I don't feel like it. If Linae or the other kids see me with her, what will they think? I'll call and tell her I can't go."
"Listen to yourself!" scolded Mom. "You have no good reason to think Jana has done anything wrong. You made a commitment, and you need to keep it."
At her mother's insistence, Kathy reluctantly met Jana as they had planned. As the girls walked along, Kathy was embarrassed to see Linae approaching. "Wait up!" called Linae. "I'll walk with you."
"Are you out to spend your five pounds?" asked Jana.
"Oh, no!" replied Linae. "I'm going to keep them!" She laughed merrily. "You should have seen us this afternoon, Jana! We looked all over the house for one of the coins because I didn't know my mother had taken it over to show our neighbor next door."
When Kathy returned home, she hesitantly told her mother what had happened to the money. "With a friend like me, who needs enemies?" she finished. "I'm so ashamed!"
Mom nodded. "I'm sure you've learned a lesson today," she said. "Proverbs 17:17 would be a good verse for you to learn -- go look it up, okay?"
Be a true friend