The Friends You Need

By Javan Shashaty

Picture your wedding day for minute . . . For all the girls out there, this is a scene you may know well. It’s possible you already know what the flowers, the aisle, and the atmosphere will look like on that day. For a lot of guys, this may be the first time in your life you’ve pictured this scene. But I don’t want you to imagine the sights, smells, or anything about the environment. I want you to picture yourself up at the altar holding the hands of your future spouse. Now, who is up there with you? Who is the best man/maid of honor? Who are the friends that you absolutely couldn’t have this special day without? 

Chances are, those friends are friends that you’ve made throughout high school. And that’s great! But as you go into this next season of your life, there may be a few others that will be added to that altar scene. There may be a place saved for the friends you will make in the next few years. With that in mind, don’t think for a second that the friends you choose this coming year will be a meaningless and mindless decision. It’s an important one and its ramifications are huge. You may find an incredible roommate who becomes your best friend, or you may have a roommate that drives you crazy. You may stumble upon a great group of godly friends right away, or it might take you a while to find your place. But great friends are worth waiting for and holding on to! 

The Bible tells us that friends are worth it. A good friend encourages us when we feel down, comforts us when we feel hopeless, and challenges us to be all that God has called us to be! A bad friend, however, will lead us down a path of destruction that pulls us further away from God instead of closer to Him. At some point in your life, someone has probably told you the famous line: “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.” This is a very true statement that you need to consider when choosing your friends in this season. Don’t take this lightly. Pray and ask the Lord to give you wisdom to choose good friends!

I’ll leave you today with these wise words from the book of the Bible that’s literally all about wisdom . . . “The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray” (Proverbs 12:26).