A Brotherly Perspective

A Brotherly Perspective

The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.

As I walked through the door of the local gathering place in my hometown, I swallowed my nervousness, unsure of what my twenty-year reunion would be like. Immediately I was met by warm smiles and familiar faces. As I started talking with a group of classmates I hadn’t seen in almost twenty years, someone sidled up next to me—my dear friend Blake. We hugged and began talking about our lives now.

Our small group of reunion goers spent the rest of the evening reminiscing and telling old stories that I’d long since forgotten while also showing photos of family and sharing about career choices, places we’d lived, and dreams for the future.

Several days later I was still warmly remembering how much I appreciated Blake’s friendship throughout high school. He was supportive and kind, often offering me a listening ear and being a sounding board for all my teenage angst. Even as a teen, he was always considerate of others and what was going on in their lives, not just his own. His male perspective was helpful to me as I began to navigate healthy relationships, and I learned a lot from him during that time. He was a good friend to me during a season when I really needed one, and today, I am grateful for his friendship over those high school years.

Too often we can befriend only those who are just like us, but I am grateful for my young experiences of friendship with both sexes. Learning early on in life to interact with a young man in a purely platonic way, a man who was more like the brother I never had, taught me a great deal about navigating relationships with men—skills that I still draw on today. It set me up for healthy relationships at work, in college, and even with my husband. We all need and can benefit from a variety of friends with varying perspectives and experiences to help us navigate life and relationships because the counsel they give us will be like sweet perfume.

— Kendra

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Thank a friend who brings a different perspective to your life, and let them know why you appreciate them.