4 Important Traits that Make Up a Quality Friend
I spent last week in the mountains of West Virginia with friends I hadn't seen in a long time.
Our days were filled with Disney movies, board games, theological discussions, and almost drowning in a river. It was as if we were back at college again, procrastinating from homework while drinking coffee all day long.
It was a memorable vacation with quality people. Everyone deserves excellent friends, and as I drove home on what seemed like an endless road I pondered what exactly makes a quality friend.
I found these 4 traits:
Honesty:
Quality friendships are filled with honesty.
Too often when asking for advice, we don't want to hear what our friends actually think. Instead, we seek affirmation to the conclusions we have already drawn up in our heads.
I'm guilty of this. I'm guilty of simply agreeing with people because I don't want to ruffle any feathers, and I'm guilty of asking advice not because I want real answers, but simply because I want re-assurance.
But a good friend doesn't tell you what you want to hear. Instead they tell you what you need to hear.
Challenging:
Quality friendships should challenge you to be a better person.
Good friends should inspire you to ask hard questions in life, and to not be satisfied with mediocre answers.
They should encourage you to seek God with your whole heart, and be honest with you when you're going astray.
I love that my friends challenge me to try new things (To be honest though, I hate when they try to get me to eat sushi because that's just gross), and to live life to the fullest.
Humor:
Quality friendship is filled with laughter.
I love that I can have serious conversations with my friends one minute, and than laugh about an inside joke the next.
Life is too short to be serious all the time. There is something totally freeing about laughing so hard with your friends until your stomach hurts.
Loving:
Quality friends love well.
A quality friend is someone you can call in the middle of the night and confess that you have no idea what you're doing in life, and they actually listen.
It's someone who wants you to succeed, and isn't jealous of your accomplishments.
A true friend loves you despite your faults, and yet knows how to tell you when you're wrong, and lovingly helps you get back on the right path.
Life can be hard, and I'm thankful for the friends who help make it easier.
