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Friendship: more about being than having

What does being a true friend mean? Explore six attitudes of good friends and inspiring examples from Reis, Quarto de Guerra and Papo Delas.

8 min readBy Editorial team

Hello, family. How are you? It's Ana! I'm back on the Univer Vídeo blog to talk about Friendship Day.

July 30 is officially International Friendship Day. This is a lovely subject that opens up a wide range of meanings, since everyone has their own idea of what it means to have or be a friend.

This Friendship Day, I am thinking about our own selfishness (heavy, isn't it? But you will understand).

We worry a great deal about who is beside us. It is even a trend online to say things like: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

Of course, you should be careful about the people you choose to walk beside you. That is also very important.

But do you worry about whether you have been a good friend? It is very easy to want pleasant friends, but have you been the friend you are looking for?

That is why this article is more about being a good friend than having one. This Friendship Day, think about YOURSELF and who you have been to the people around you. How can you want great friends if you do not reflect that yourself? At the very least, it would be hypocrisy.

If, looking at yourself, you do not see a good friend in some (or many) of your actions, do not waste time tormenting yourself. With Friendship Day approaching, begin the changes needed to become a good friend.

Salomao_Agur WHAT DO GOOD FRIENDS DO?

I will list six things good friends do so you can start doing them now, on Friendship Day.

  • They are honest to help;
  • They do not abandon you when things get tough;
  • They do not envy or compete;
  • They are not false;
  • They lift their friend up;
  • They pray for their friend.

HONEST TO HELP

First, let me emphasize: honesty is not an excuse for hurtfulness. Being honest does not mean being rude, aggressive, self-righteous, humiliating someone in front of others or constantly saying whatever you think without a filter.

Know when to speak, but do not fail to be honest to help your friend. Have you noticed them doing something that is not right? Call your friend aside and show them where they are going wrong.

Sometimes you see something your friend cannot see for themselves at that moment, so why not support them?

*“Open rebuke is better than hidden love.”*Proverbs 27:5

DO NOT ABANDON THEM WHEN THINGS GET TOUGH

They say you discover your true friends when you go through a hardship. And that is true.

Many stay beside you when you are doing well and everything is going smoothly, but as soon as a bad day arrives, some disappear.

It is up to you to be a good friend on the bad day. Care about how your friend is doing, offer words that help them overcome it, and do the most important thing, which is the last suggestion on my list.

DO NOT ENVY OR COMPETE

Do not be that “friend” who wants to seem better or better off, who cannot rejoice in someone else's achievement and always tries to show they are on top too. That is very unpleasant and negative of us!

When your friend tells you about a victory, be sincerely happy and celebrate with them. Do not spoil it by saying: “Really? But I achieved that too, look.” That moment belongs to them alone.

Do not dwell on envious thoughts such as: “They only achieved it because of so-and-so” or “I could do that easily too.”

*“Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”*Galatians 5:26

DO NOT BE FALSE

This is basic, isn't it? You do not even need to be a friend to follow it, but with values turned upside down, it is worth emphasizing this Friendship Day.

A good friend does not listen to personal confidences and then tell everyone else, nor pretend to like you for their own benefit.

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Be loyal and truthful to be a good friend. One day you will reap what you sow, so if you are false with someone today, one day someone will be false with you.

*“The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the treacherous will destroy them.”*Proverbs 11:3

LIFT YOUR FRIEND UP

A good friend lifts the other person up when they are sad, discouraged or thinking of giving up.

They are an encourager. When their friend shares their dreams, they support and help them, sharing in the other's joy.

They are good-humored and bring lightness and joy to their friend.

*“Two are better than one […] For if they fall, one will lift up his companion;”*Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

PRAY FOR YOUR FRIEND

This is the main suggestion, encompassing all the others: pray for your friend. In all the situations above, the best choice you can make is to pray for your friend.

Understand that they are not perfect, just as you are not, so when you are upset with them, pray.

You will not always know what advice to give your friend. In those moments when words fail you, pray.

Take the opportunity this Friendship Day to put God between you. He is the One who will nurture this relationship in a healthy way so you strengthen one another.

*“And the Lord restored Job's fortunes when he prayed for his friends; and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.”*Job 42:10

EXAMPLES OF GREAT FRIENDSHIPS

Univer Vídeo's slogan is: content that does you good. And it lives up to that even when it comes to great friendships. On Friendship Day, choose to learn from good examples about the true meaning of being a friend.

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The series Reis shows that Ainoã and Abigail, Urias and Sama, and David and Jonathan are good examples of friends who helped one another greatly and made life's difficulties lighter together, offering lessons for you this Friendship Day.

Abigail won Ainoã's friendship with grace, wisdom and sweetness. For a short time, Ainoã was able to benefit from Abigail's teachings.

Together, they helped each other through the difficulties of being married to David during such a delicate time, when Saul pursued him, and, after he began reigning in Hebron, through the king's many marriages.

Urias and Sama had a long journey together, starting in their youth. Their friendship lasted until the end, to the point that Sama did not think twice about entering a trap with Urias.

David and Jonathan's friendship involved great loyalty on both sides. It was so intense that the Bible says:

*“… The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”*1 Samuel 18:1

You do not often see a friendship like that, risking everything to help the other during persecution. Even as the natural successor to the throne, Jonathan was not proud, but understood that God had chosen David and respected him.

In Jonathan's place, many would have been angry with David, because in natural terms the king should have been Saul's firstborn. But he had no vanity and understood God's will.

ELIZABETH AND CLARA

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In Quarto de Guerra, Elizabeth and Clara's friendship is so spiritual and necessary.

Elizabeth was going through a very delicate time, and in that situation Clara provided spiritual support that inspired not only her friend but also her daughter, as they learned the power of a woman who fights her battles in a prayer corner.

Since I watched it on Univer Vídeo, it has become my number-one film of all time. Every woman's goal should be to be like Mrs. Clara, full of wisdom and prayer to overcome problems with God.

Here is a suggestion: recommend Quarto de Guerra to a friend this Friendship Day. I am sure they will love it.

THESE FRIENDS REALLY SPEAK THEIR MINDS!

On Univer Vídeo's podcast Papo Delas, four friends discuss necessary topics every week.

Past traumas, sin and consequences are some of the topics already discussed. Here is a spoiler: every episode is amazing, and you will leave with a broader view of the subjects.

This is a conversation among friends that will teach you a great deal!

This Friendship Day, click here, choose a plan and invest in being a better friend to the people around you.

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