How Much is a Friend Worth?
We live in an age of isolation and loneliness. Friendships have been struggling for years. Maybe you’ve noticed.
The epidemic that began two years ago was only the last domino to fall in a cascade of generation long trends.
If the stats are right, the average American has only one good friend. Just one… and almost a third of us would say there couldn’t count that far.
When I think back on my four decades on this planet, the very best seasons of my life were filled with deep meaningful friendships. Without exception. In fact, at each stage of the journey, I realize now, it was the people that made the place—not the other way around.
Lately I’ve been wondering, how much is a good friend worth?
Have you ever thought about that before?
Can you put a price on something like that?
I know you’re probably sitting there thinking this is a rhetorical question, but God showed me something recently that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about.
When we first moved to Ontario, Mel went back to school. She took a couple years at a local college to get certified in a brand new field. It was exciting, but it wasn’t cheap. I remember the bill was just over $10,000.
That may not seem like that much to some, but when you’re newly married and just starting out its a fortune. And for a guy whose wallet tends to creak when it opens, it was an extra large investment.
When all was said and done, she made a few good friends—one in particular—and was ready to jump into her new calling. Only, the leap was rather short lived. We moved within a year, started having kids right after that, and she never went back to using that diploma. Fifteen years have gone by in a blink.
Now, I look back on that couple years and sometimes wonder if it was a waste of money. I know you can’t look back on life with regrets, but my imagination never plays by the rules. I have wondered more than once if it was worth the investment.
But God has shown me lately, it was a steal of a deal. See, the one friendship my wife made in those classrooms has lasted a decade and a half and has become one of her closest friends. In fact, she has been a lifeline is a season of uncertainty. So I can tell you, with every conviction, that I may not know exactly how much a good friend is worth, but I know it is well north of ten grand.
And the truth is, we would do it again in a heartbeat.
"Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. ... Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." —Ecclesiastes 4:9-12