[Afriend loves at all times, and a brother is born foradversity.]---Proverbs 17:17

Alot of people go through life with only a few friends, and some evenhave less than that. They have no one on whom they can call in goodtimes or bad. There is no one with whom to bounce ideas around. Theyhave no one to call in times of need or difficulty or to talk aboutdeep and troubling subjects.

Others,however, have a multitude of friends. Wherever they go,people know them, and like to be around them. Should trouble strike,their biggest hesitation might be over which friend to call. Theyknow exactly the person with whom to discuss the topics of inquiryand debate. Life of this kind of people is full of entertaining andinvigorating relationships because there are many friends.

Ofcourse, some people are perfectly happy to operate with fewerfriends. They might rather have a few deep and loyal friends thanmany superficial ones. Others thrive best when friends are everywhereand numerous. It is not so much the number of friends that isimportant as the possession of friends.

Friendshipis a blessing, and a friend is the channel through whom greatemotional, spiritual and sometimes even physical blessings flow.Friends can cheer us when we are sorrowful or depressed. Friends canchallenge us when we allow ourselves to get beyond our reasonableboundaries. Friends can motivate us when we are ready to give in, andthey can provide for us when life falls apart. They are there whenall is well, and we want someone with whom to share life’s pleasantand memorable moments. We often just want them around to have a goodtime, to laugh, to act silly, to enjoy some mutually liked activity.