Ever since we were 6 years old, we've been taught how to be a good friend to our peers and we've been able to recognize good friends to us. Think of one of your favorite friends. What attributes does he or she have? Now, think of Christ. Christ is perfect, meaning he is also the perfect friend. If you think of all the good attributes of one of your closest friends, doesn't Christ have all of those attributes as well? Christ told his disciples "ye are my friends" (John 15:14). Christ is the perfect friend to all of us.
When I started thinking of all the attributes of my good friends, I found that Christ had all of those attributes as well. Here are just a few I found...
Kindness: While on his way to heal the daughter of Jarius, Christ stopped to talk with the woman who touched his clothes and was healed. He easily could have brushed by her, but he was kind and gave her his time. (Luke 8)
Loving: Christ showed love to the people he visited in the Americas as he let them touch his hands and feet one by one (3 Nephi 11)
Sacrifice: Christ sacrificed all in our behalf, he gave his life for us. Christ said "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).
These are only a few of the many attributes some of my good friends have, that Christ also demonstrates perfectly. I'm curious, what other attributes do your friends have, that Christ also demonstrates perfectly?
Friendship in my opinion is a 2 way deal. We cannot expect to leach off our friends' kindness, generosity, and love without giving something back. With this idea, Christ is our friend therefore we need to be a good friend back to him.
Imagine Jesus Christ sitting in a chair not too far away from you right now, or imagine him walking around your school as a fellow student, as the new co-worker that just got hired, or the secretary at the doctor's office. How would you be his friend? Christ said "Inasmuch as ye do it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40).
Are you a good friend to Christ? Are you demonstrating the attributes of a good friend to our Savior? From the scriptures we learn of individuals who were good friends of Christ by demonstrating those same attributes of friendship.
Kindness: Ruth was kind to her mother-in-law Naomi by staying with her after her husband died. (Ruth 1)
Loving: King Benjamin demonstrated love when he worked right alongside his people (Mosiah 2) (King Benjamin was an ancient prophet and king who we learn about in the Book of Mormon.)
Sacrifice: Amulek sacrificed when he went with Alma "having forsaken all his gold, and his silver, and his precious things for the word of God, he being rejected by those who were once his friends and also by his father and his kindred" (Alma 15) in order to preach the word of God. (Amulek was also an ancient prophet who we learn about in the Book of Mormon.)
These individuals showed friendship to Christ. What examples of individuals from the scriptures can you think of that demonstrated friendship to Christ?
We can learn from these examples of how to be friends to Christ. One of the living apostles of the Lord President Eyring said, "We become friends with Christ when we serve others for Him. He is the perfect example of the kind of friend we are to become."
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| President Henry B. Eyring |
The opportunities for us to be a good friend to Christ is all around us. If we look around ourselves, we see other individuals that we can be friendly to, that we can serve, that we can lift up. Each time we do this, each time we are a friend to others, we are a friend to Christ.
President Eyring continued and said, "In the next few days you will have many opportunities to be a friend for Jesus Christ. It may be as you walk on a dusty road. It may be as you look for a place to sit in a Church congregation. If you are watching, you will see someone carrying a heavy burden. It may be a burden of sorrow or loneliness or resentment. It may be visible to you only if you have prayed for the Spirit to give you eyes to see into hearts and have promised to lift up the hands that hang down. The answer to your prayer may be the face of an old friend, one you have not seen in years but whose needs suddenly come into mind and heart and feel as if they are your own" (link here).
I know that as we look to be friends and show friendship to others, we are showing our friendship to Christ. This week, I invite us to take the opportunity to be a friend to Christ. Look around ourselves and serve others. As President Eyring said, "We become friends with Christ when we serve others for Him." I love Jesus Christ and I hope that one day in the eternities I will be welcomed by Jesus Christ as one of his friends!
