When I was little I remember reading books with best friends and secretly wishing I had a best friend as depicted in the book - someone who was always around when you needed them, who you could fight with and make up, and would always say just the right thing at the right time. I read books about animals (horses mostly) and wondered if having a horse would give that quiet satisfaction of giving you everything you needed when you needed it. In later years Hollywood promoted a "soulmate" as being that ultimate fulfillment, as being your ultimate "best friend."
This sense and desire for a "best friend" pops up from time to time in my heart as if I have that relationship then everything else - all the other mean people, hard circumstances, etc. - will be ok because I'll have that person.
Out of this I've grown to dislike the term "best friend." One of the things I've seen over the years is that God has blessed me with a some amazing friends (plural) - friends who bless me at different times, in different ways and no one person has been responsible for all the blessing or help I've received and needed over the years (nor do I think one person could ever provide it).
But I think my biggest problem with the thought of a "best friend" is that if I had one person designated as this I would put too much hope and reliance on that person instead of God. It is easy for me to create idols in my heart, to elevate something good that God has given me and crave the gift above God the Giver. God is so good to bless us with the gift of friends may we learn to love one another openly, honestly, and out of the fullness of God's love for us recognizing God as the ultimate life giver.
That problem was also solved for me when I stopped thinking of "best friend" as a true superlative... meaning you can have more than one!
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