Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future. This is a very profound statement that is 100% true. Ultimately, who you hang out with and live life with is who you will become like. We all have different types of friends that either build us up or bring us down. There’s the stand up friend, the phone call friend, the second hand friend, the “just friends”, and of course there’s the gimme gimme friend. Each one of these types of friends is essential in life, because they all bring different attributes to the table. We were created for community, so relationships are how we thrive.

The Stand Up Friend
This is the friend that you know will answer your call as 2am when your boyfriend just broke up with you. They speak truth and life into you even when it’s not easy to hear sometimes, they defend you behind your back and are always fighting for you. There’s no need to try and impress this person or put on your best. You can come crawling to them in tears, when your life is in shambles and they’ll help you piece it back together. Not to mention, they remember the small things about you. They know your favorite candy, how you take your coffee, your guilty pleasure song, your biggest fears, and they know when you need a hug and some encouragement.  When you are together you can laugh until your stomachs hurts and tears of joy drip down your faces. One of their many great features is knowing when you’re upset and not even having to ask, they comfort you. Their goal is not, “what can I get from this friendship?”,  instead it’s what can I give? A priority of theirs is to bring you closer to God, and have a friendship centered around Him. The agenda when you spend time together usually entails Nicholas Sparks movie marathons, ice cream, long talks over coffee, and shopping for hours on end. This friend stands up when life gets tough, they don’t sit down and let you do it alone.

The Phone Call Friend
This is that friend that when their name shows up on your phone, it’s a sweet surprise. There’s no need to talk to them everyday, but when you do, its like you never stopped. They are one of the few people you actually call, because hearing their voice is familiar and makes you smile. Your phone calls last for hours as you catch each other up on every possible detail of your life. When they call, they ask you about your family, your latest love interest, and how school is going. This friend genuinely cares about you and your well- being. The phone call friend prays for you when you call them to ask for advice or a tragedy has happened. On the rare occasion that you do get to see each other, you spend the time reliving old memories and laughing about the silly stories of your childhood together.  They make time for you and invest in the friendship, even if it takes a lot of effort. When you end your chat, they leave you feeling refreshed and encouraged after talking, instantly brightening your day with a single call.

The Second Hand Friend
You greet this person with a friendly hello, and often end up talking about the weather. This person is more commonly known as a mutual friend. Oddly enough, you both go to the same activities and are constantly around each other but rarely interact. It’s comfortable hanging out with them in a group setting, but a coffee date one on one would not go over well. Conversation topics usually consist of talking about your mutual friend, and how you know them, your 4th grade teacher and how awful she was, or how your classes are going. The chat never gets further than surface level, and you’re both content with that. There’s a mutual follow on social media and when you scroll past their picture, you always like it without a second thought. In the hallways at school, you acknowledge each other’s existence with a nod of the head or a small, half smile. It’s good to have this type of friend in your life, because life would be a dull place without people to smile and wave at each day and who else would you have small talk with?

The “Just Friends”
This is the friend that used to consume your mind and leave you with butterflies in your stomach. You’d laugh excessively at each other’s jokes, even if they weren’t all that funny. Countless hours were spent going to every one of his football games and cheered him on with his family. Long hours spent talking on the phone, late into the night talking about your days and sharing secrets for only the other person to hold dear. But now, things have shifted quite dramatically. You walk by each other in the hall and don’t make eye contact, maybe a slight smile if you’re in a good mood. People ask you if your still friends, and you say yes every time, but are you really still friends? He never texts you, you rarely ever talk in person, if there is any physical contact its an awkward hug. Their voice is enough to make all the memories come flooding back.  Listening to his voicemails would mean water works and heartache. You keep the pictures you have together on your camera roll and occasionally scroll through them, but each time you look at them it becomes a little bit easier. Each day you try to put on a smile and act like everything is okay between you two, but your heart would say otherwise. This person has brought so much joy, but also tremendous amount of pain to your life. They are essential to life though, because they grow you and help form your character. The awkward hello’s and eye contacts sting your heart, but ultimately make you stronger. Without the “just friends” life would be boring and lack luster.

The Gimme- Gimme Friend
This friend is constantly bringing the conversation back to himself or herself. They may ask you how your day was but they don’t really care to know and end up complaining to you about their own day. The topic is never positive and leaves you feeling defeated and tired when you’re done talking. When you make plans to hang out, they usually blow you off for their boyfriend or girlfriend. When they say sorry, it’s just for show. The blame is usually turned on you and they make you feel guilty and at fault. Feelings that you’re always competing for their approval, and can never take a breath occur when you’re around them.  Gossip is their main form of communication. This “friend” feeds off of always being right, and laughing when people fall down. Laughter escapes out of your mouth, but you can’t help but think about what they say about you behind your back. Despite how rough it is to be around them, it’s a good learning experience that builds your character. This person only takes in a relationship; they never invest in the other friend. They bring death and brokenness where ever they go. (overstatement)