A PIECE OF MY HEART...a Proverbs 17:17 friend

One of my favorite Bible scriptures is found in Proverbs 17:17..."A friend loves at all times." Have you ever considered how often "at all times" is?

"At all times" is a very, very long time. In fact it may even be as long as a lifetime. But is it really possible for someone to love "at all times"?

What about when someone hurts us? Can we still love them?
When a friend makes a poor choice...do we still love them?
When a friend stabs you in the back, but loves you to your face...does "at all times" cover this?

It may seem impossible to do, but I believe that God is pleased when we become a Proverbs 17:17 friend. As Christians, we are to be Christ-like and Christ loved everyone. At all times. Even though people hurt Christ, He still loved them. Just like they did to Christ, people will also hurt us. Our natural instinct as people is to turn away, or befriend them.

I have found thru experience that in times of difficulty, that is the time that we will find out what our friends are truly made of. Perhaps "at all times" means not just during the good times, or when it is convenient for us. Perhaps a friend that loves at all times is one who loves even though they have been hurt, let down, discouraged or even betrayed. "At all times" is during good times and bad.

As a child, I always heard about the golden rule..."Do unto others as you would have them do to you." As a young person I always had a hard time to grasp this, and quite honestly, as an adult it isn't always easy either. There are so many people in our world that needs to see and feel the love of Christ and sometimes the best way to do that is to love others unconditionally.

Unconditionally? That may mean we need to love someone who is unloveable or someone who has done us wrong. Loving someone unconditionally doesn't mean hitting the delete button on facebook just because they make us mad, nor does it mean we turn our back on them or judge them for their actions. Loving unconditionally like Christ loves us is plainly spoken in 1 John 4:19...

"We love because He first loved us."

What kind of a friend are you...a Proverbs 17:17 kind or the kind that is hard to find? I pray that we all can be found loving "at all times!"

And this has been a piece of my heart today;