If you have one true friend you have more than your share.
- Thomas Fuller, English clergyman & historian

One true friend...I have one true Friend - mind you, I don't think He is what  Thomas had in mind with this quote. My best Friend is Jesus. He's the One who is  there when everybody else walks away, the One who listens when everybody else  puts their hands over their ears, the One who walks with me when others turn  away and walk the other way and more. But I think what Mr. Fuller had in mind  was a human friend.

I have more than one friend I can turn to. I have Ellie, Stuart, Chris and Diane as close friends I can confide in, and then I have God who I can tell anything to without fear of anger, judgment, criticism etc.  I am a Christian, as you might have figured out, so when I look for a friend, I look to the Bible for guidelines on what love is.  According to the Bible, which I fully believe in, God is Love -

⁸ But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

To go further in this and to find out what love is, we go to 1 Corinthians 13:3-7 NLT, we find that:

³ If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;^[a] but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

 ⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶ It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Now replace the word Love with the name God and here is what you get - a very clear picture of the Real God:

 ⁴ God is patient and kind. God is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. He does not demand His own way. He is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶ He does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ God never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through

every circumstance.

Now is that not what we ALL want in a friend?  Unconditional love and support, non-judgment, not rude, patient, kind to all, doesn't demand their own way all the time...that is what I look for.  Now, as humans, we are going to fail in comparison to God.  But it is a checklist we can use to search out whether a person we have met is truly a friend or simply an acquaintance to keep at arms' length.

As for me, God is my best friend.  He never leaves me, never gets angry and yells at me, forgives me for anything I do and accepts me for who and what I am right now.  And I love Him SO MUCH!  The good part is, He wants to be your friend to.  The choice, is up to you.  He won't push His will on you or anybody else.  That's what makes Him the BEST FRIEND!!!

When it comes to my other friends, we both have our own issues and sometimes we need a break from each other. That happens when we  are both going through a tough time and neither of us can really help the other.  And the nice thing about this kind of friendship is that we each respect that. If  only all friends respected the space needed without feeling like they have been  scorned or spurned in some way.

According to http://ezinearticles.com/?True-Friends---T
heir-Top-10-Characteristics&id=115937, A true friend:

1) When you forget the song in your heart, a friend is someone who sings it
back to you. (Helen Steiner)

2) A friend's support is unconditional: when the going gets tough a friend
is right there beside you.

3) A friend has seen you at your worst and loves you even so.

4) A friend is someone with whom you can share secrets in confidence.

5) You can phone a friend for help even in the middle of the night.

6) A friend is honest with you, deflates your ego and inflates your Self.

7) A friend shares your sense of humour, provides nourishment and
inspiration for the mind.

8) A friend is drawn to you not not for what you are but who you are.

9) When you share your wildest dreams, a friend is someone who replies,
quote, How can I help? unquote.

10) Thinking about Needs and Values, once you have recognized those Needs
which,satisfied, enable you to be the best person you possibly can be, a
friend will help you get them met.

.......And a friend will say all of the above about you too!
Copyright CoachVille


A friend to me is:
somebody who is loyal, can keep secrets of something perosnal I share with them
somebody I can trust to look after my cat and my home if I am sick in hospital or  away from home
somebody I have common interests with
somebody I can laugh with
somebody who appreciates my boundaries and respects them
somebody who appreciates the fact I do have other friends and is not jealous
somebody who is encouraging to me as I am to them
somebody who can have a difference of opinion and still get along great
somebody who accepts me for owho I am right now
somebody I can have an argument with and still get along afterwards
somebody who can be open honestly with me
somebody that I can do all this with respect and appreciate back to

A person can have many acquaintances...which I do, but to have a sincere friend  or even more, is a blessing one can only understand if they have it. If you are  blessed to have more than one sincere and true friend, you are beyond blessed  and should count your blessings. The best way to have a friend or find a friend is  to be to others what you want them to be like for and with you.