As a part of an assignment for a doctoral thesis, a college student spent a year with a group of Navajo Indians on a reservation in the Southwest. As he did his research, he lived with one family, sleeping in their hut, eating their food, working with them, and generally living the life of a twentieth-century Indian. The old grandmother of the family spoke no English at all, yet a very close friendship formed between the two. They spent a great deal of time sharing a friendship that was meaningful to each, yet unexplainable to anyone else. In spite of the language difference, they shared the common language of love and understood each other. Over the months he learned a few phrases of Navajo, and she picked up a little of the English language. When it was time for him to return to the campus and write his thesis, the tribe held a going-away celebration. It was marked by sadness since the young man had become close to the whole village and all would miss him. As he prepared to get up into the pickup truck and leave, the old grandmother came to tell him good-bye. With tears streaming from her eyes, she placed her hands on either side of his face, looked directly into his eyes and said, "I like me best when I'm with you."

Friendship is such a wonderful blessing. With a friend, all pretense is laid aside. With a friend, pretended happiness is not necessary, nor does a tear cause embarrassment. With a friend, one can reveal their innermost thoughts, dreams, and hopes and know - no matter how foolish they may seem - he will encourage your pursuit of them. With a friend, one can chatter all day long while shopping or silently fish together watching the sun break over the horizon. A friend loves us as we really are, in spite of our weaknesses and idiosyncracies. It is truly only with a friend that we can say, "I like me best when I’m with you," for his friendship reveals our self-worth.

The Bible teaches that there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). That friend is Jesus Christ. He said to his disciples, "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you" (John 15:15 NKJV). He prefaced this remark by stating they were His friends if they did what He commanded (John 15:14). With Jesus as a friend we can have the peace of mind of being reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:18). With Jesus as a friend we can have confidence that God will provide for our necessities of life (Matt. 6:25-34). With Jesus as a friend we have the perfect mediator and advocate with the Father (1 Tim. 2:5; 1 John 2:1). With Jesus as a friend we have the promise of an abundant life (John 10:10). Jesus will never leave nor forsake His friends (Heb. 13:5). He is truly a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

The same Proverb which states "there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" also states "a man who has friends must himself be friendly." To be called a friend of Jesus we must do what He commands (John 15:14). Keeping the commands of Jesus will reward us with the best, most purposeful, and most rewarding life we could possibly live. Being a friend to Jesus while on earth will enable us to say to Him when we reach heaven, "I liked me best when I was with You."