A Kiss from Rose | A Friend Is What a Friend Does

Friends who laugh at your trials and tribulations are not your friends.

Friends who smirk at your pain, celebrate your setbacks, or secretly enjoy watching you struggle do not have your best interest at heart. A real friend doesn’t find entertainment in your tears. They don’t become part of the audience when your life is falling apart. They don’t clap when you lose. They don’t throw stones while pretending to pray for you.

A friend is what a friend does.

Titles don’t make friendships.

Actions do.

No one should be able to infiltrate a genuine friendship. No rumor should be able to divide it. No outsider should have enough influence to make your friend question your heart without first talking to you. Real friendship doesn’t fence ride. It doesn’t switch sides because the crowd got louder. It doesn’t become silent when your name is being attacked. A true friend has enough integrity to say, “That doesn’t sound like the person I know. Let me go ask them myself.”

One of the greatest examples of friendship in the Bible is David and Jonathan. Jonathan was the son of King Saul—the very man trying to kill David. Yet Jonathan never allowed his father’s jealousy to become his own. He protected David. He warned David of danger. He encouraged him in God. He loved him with loyalty instead of competition. Their friendship wasn’t built on convenience; it was built on covenant. Jonathan understood that protecting his friend mattered more than protecting his position.

That’s what friendship looks like.

Sometimes friendships have an expiration date.

And while that may hurt, it doesn’t always mean you failed. Sometimes it simply reveals that the relationship was only meant for a season. More often than not, if someone walks away the moment life becomes inconvenient, they were never committed to the long haul. Seasons expose what words often conceal.

Real friendships don’t compete with your spouse. They don’t create division in your home. They don’t make your marriage feel threatened. They don’t make you choose between loyalty to your family and loyalty to them. A healthy friendship respects boundaries, honors your commitments, and celebrates the people God has placed in your life.

Nor should a friendship ever feel like an unsafe space.

You shouldn’t constantly wonder what’s being said when you leave the room.

You shouldn’t fear your vulnerabilities being used against you.

You shouldn’t have to earn basic respect every time you’re together.

Real friendships aren’t a constant battle.

They are places of peace.

Can you imagine battling with Jesus?

Can you imagine questioning whether He was secretly against you?

Can you imagine Jesus laughing at your lowest moments?

Can you imagine Him mocking your mistakes?

Smirking at your failures?

Making jokes about your pain?

Cheering when you fell?

Gossiping about your weaknesses?

Walking away because your season became difficult?

Of course not.

Instead, Jesus draws near to the brokenhearted. He comforts the hurting. He restores the fallen. He intercedes for us. He corrects us in love. He never humiliates us to elevate Himself. Even when we fail Him, He continues to extend mercy, grace, forgiveness, and the opportunity to rise again.

That’s what a true friend does.

Not because they’re perfect…

But because love refuses to rejoice in another person’s pain.

💌 Grandma’s Corner

Friendship shouldn’t leave you questioning your worth.

It should remind you of it.

The people God sends into your life won’t clap at your downfall.

They’ll pray through your storm, protect your name when you’re absent, celebrate your victories as if they were their own, and stand beside you when everyone else walks away.

A friend isn’t proven by what they call themselves.

A friend is proven by what they consistently do.

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“In this leg of my life, I’m thankful and appreciative of sound, safe, and genuine friendships. We all have our flaws, but a GREAT FRIEND, I can honestly say I have been to those around me.” - Alston Shropshire