The Value of Friends
What is the value of a true friend? I would put it in the category of “priceless,” as the MasterCard commercials say.
The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health released the findings of a study of senior adults in Australia. For ten years a group studied the effects of friendships on length of life. The findings of the study revealed that older adults with a large circle of friends were 22 percent less likely to die during the study period than those with few friends.[i] In addition, Harvard researchers have reported that strong social ties may promote brain health as we age.[ii] And couldn’t we all use more brain health?
The writer of Ecclesiastes told us the value of friendship. The word “reward” in Ecclesiastes 4:9 can also be translated “return” as in “return on investment.” The best investments you will make in life are not financial; they are relational.
The writer of Ecclesiastes gave us a couple of reasons why we should invest in friends. First, friends help you when you are down. If you want to know the difference between acquaintances and friends, get in trouble. The ones who are still around and helping you walk through the difficult time are your true friends.
Second, friends will have your back when someone is tearing you down. The idea behind this verse is based on the military. Most battles in that day were fought hand to hand. The soldiers would stand back to back in battle as they fought. Obviously, if one soldier was attacked from behind, his fellow soldier would protect him. This is the picture of true friendship.
Are you making a wise investment? You will have a good return if you will invest in friends. Look for opportunities to strengthen those friends when they are in trouble. True, authentic friendships are a gift from God and are a rare treasure! Stand up for your friends when they cannot stand up for themselves. It will pay great dividends.
Father, thank You for the friends You have put in my life. Help me see ways I can invest in those friendships. Help me find a way I can stand up for a friend in trouble today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
[i] Lynne C. Giles, et al., “Effect of Social Networks on 10 Year Survival in Very Old Australians: The Australian Longitudinal Study of Aging,” Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 59, no. 7 (July 2005): 574–579.
[ii] Karen A. Ertel, M. Maria Glymour, and Lisa F. Berkman, “Effects of Social Integration on Preserving Memory Function in a Nationally Representative US Elderly Population,” American Journal of Public Health 98, no. 7 (July 2008), 1,215–1,220.
