do you know who your friends are?

do you know who your friends are?

your real friends. not the people who just come along for the ride but the ones who stick with you when the car breaks down. and your mood is sour. and your hair looks bad.

the people who stand by you when everyone else has walked away. when the world calls you failure. when you think you can't go on.

the ones who see you across the room and can tell if you're happy. or sad. or scared.

and then walk across the room to be with you.

to laugh with you. to cry with you. 

to let you know you're not alone.

real friends are the ones who don't care what you're wearing. or if your joke was funny. or if you made a mistake.

they're not in it for you to impress them. or to keep score. or to make you look bad.

they don't have an agenda. or a hidden reason to like you.

they just like you. and they want the best for you. even when it's not the best for them.

real friendship isn't about convenience. or popularity. or comfort.

because- truth be told- sometimes it's not convenient or popular or comfortable at all.

real friendship...lasting friendship...is about love. and value. and sacrifice. 

it's a willingness to help that comes easy. a desire to want the best for another's life. a heart that automatically encourages, intercedes, supports.

true friends can be seen in the ugly moments. when you're not at your best. when your mask is taken off. when you've become who you said you'd never be.

true friends can be seen when the world has turned it's back. and given up on you. and considered you a disappointment.

the Bible says that two are better than one. that when one falls, the other can pick him up. (Ecclesiasties 4:9) 

thank God for that.

because we all fall. more often than we'd like. and we all need someone to pick us up.

and you can bet it will be a friend.

a true one...