The Friend that Sticks Closer than a Brother

As I write this, I am preparing to return to Guatemala with our Student Mission team. I remember the first time I visited Guatemala in the fall of 2022 with a small team from our church. I traveled to many different places in 2022 with school and conventions and almost decided not to travel to Guatemala. Through the encouragement from Karen Pirtle and Pastor Eric, I pushed through my desire to be home and made the trip.

Upon arriving in Guatemala City with our team, I met Annie and her fiancé, Estuardo. I offered to ride with Estuardo back to Antigua, where we stayed as a team, because we could not all ride with Annie. Estuardo and I began the hour-long drive up to Antigua, and I was blessed to find a friend with whom I shared a lot in common. Although we grew up in different countries, our stories had many similarities.

The Bible often describes friendships. The book of Proverbs provides much wisdom. Proverbs 12:26 encourages people to choose their friends wisely. The proof in choosing wise friends leads them to stick closer than a brother, or they are unreliable (Proverbs 18:24).

I was pleasantly surprised, at the age of 42, to find that God still brought new friends into my life with Estuardo and Annie. We all had such a great time getting to know each other that they jokingly mentioned needing someone to officiate their wedding last May, and I was glad to help them with that. Charly and I enjoyed getting to know them and their families.

We need to choose our friends wisely and be ready to receive someone who needs a friend at any age. If you are currently experiencing a time when you feel you do not have friends, earnestly pray for God to bring people near who can stick close to you. If you have a friend who sticks closer than a brother, make sure to let them know how much they mean to you today.