Proverbs 27:17 tells us, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” That kind of friendship is hard to find, but when we do, it can have a radically positive impact on every other area of our lives. And in order for us to foster that type of REALationship with another brother or sister in Christ, we first need a REALationship with God Himself.

We can define friendship as a lot of different things, but Scripture instructs us this way: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15). When non-believers look at the friendships among believers, this is what they ought to see! As Christians, all of our relationships need to be grounded in the kind of love that invites others in — the kind of love that Jesus first showed us.

When our relationship with the Lord is where it’s supposed to be, our relationships with other people tend to flourish, too. And the greatest friend we can ever have is Jesus! Through Him, even the most broken relationships can be reconciled if we allow Him to intervene and heal those past and present hurts.