I’m the middle of five boys. No sisters. Just five testosterone-filled, sports-obsessed, loud, competitive, fight-prone brothers under one roof. Our poor mom deserves a medal—and probably a vacation she’s still trying to take.

Being the middle child, I developed that classic middle-child personality: a little less brash than the firstborns, not quite as needy as the youngest. Calm in chaos. I didn’t demand the spotlight. But I still carried all the “boy” energy—wrestling matches in the living room, constant arguing about who was better at basketball, and a sibling group chat that still hasn’t slowed down.

What surprises some people is that we’re still close. All five of us. We text constantly. We have a Marco Polo video group that’s filled with everything from deep conversations to completely ridiculous bits. We share memes in an Instagram thread. We call each other. And for the last few years, we’ve taken an annual “brothers trip.”

This past year, we tried to summit a 14er in Colorado—a 14,000-foot mountain. We trained, we hiked, we got dropped off by a literal train in the middle of nowhere. We got close to the top—13,000 feet—but the snow stopped us. Still, we laughed, we made memories, and we caught the train home. Barely.

I say all that to say: I love my brothers. I’m close with them.

Which is why Proverbs 18:24 has always stood out to me:

“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”

That verse stuns me.

There’s a kind of friendship—deeper than shared blood, closer than family ties—that Scripture honors. A friendship that sticks. And if you’ve ever had a friend like that, you know it’s true.

You Were Shaped for Friendship

In Genesis, God finishes each act of creation with, “And it was good.” But then comes a surprise.

“It is not good that man should be alone.” (Genesis 2:18)

Think about that: Adam was in paradise. No sin. No stress. Just him and God... and yet, something was still “not good.” What was missing?

Relationship. Friendship. Another human being to share life with.

Why? Because Adam was made in the image of God—and the God of the Bible is a relational God. Christianity teaches something staggering: God is triune. From eternity past, Father, Son, and Spirit have shared perfect love, knowledge, and joy. God is, in Himself, a friendship. So when we say we're made in His image, it means we were created to know and be known. Deeply. Faithfully.

You were shaped for friends.

You Are Shaped by Your Friends

Proverbs 13:20 says:

“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

That’s a powerful reminder: your friendships form you. Show me your closest friends, and I’ll show you your future.

Take a moment and list your five closest friends. Not your spouse, not your dog. Real people. Who do you talk to when life is hard? Who knows the real you?

Sociologists tell us that we become the average of our five closest friends both financially, spiritually, and emotionally. If your friends love the Lord, you’ll likely grow in your faith. If your friends chase the world, you’ll feel that pull too. It's inevitable: we rise or fall to the level of our community.

Why Is Friendship So Hard Today?

In our culture, real friendship is getting squeezed out.

A recent study says the average American only has two close friends. A quarter say they have none. That’s a steep drop from just 30 years ago, when the average was six.

What changed?

• Mobility. We move more than ever. New jobs, new cities—relationships struggle to keep up.
• Busyness. Work hours climb, free time shrinks, and friendships get deprioritized.
• Social media. We’re hyper-connected online, but starved for real, deep relationships.
• Cultural messaging. Romantic love is center stage. Friendships? Often sidelined.

But friendship isn’t optional. You were made for it—and you won’t thrive without it.

What Makes a True Friend?

Two biblical ingredients: constancy and transparency.

Proverbs 17:17 says: “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

A true friend sticks. Not just when it’s easy. Not just when there’s something in it for them. They show up when you’re down. They sacrifice their time. They're consistent, not transactional.

Proverbs 27:6 adds: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.”

Real friends tell you the truth—even when it stings. They love you enough to say the hard thing. They’ll confront you when you're drifting, challenge you when you’re wrong, and stick around when you fall apart.

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

All of this ultimately points us to the Friend.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

“Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” (John 15:13, 15)

Jesus isn’t just Lord and Savior—He offers friendship. Deep, sacrificial, vulnerable friendship. His arms weren’t just open, they were nailed open for you. His wounds were the faithful wounds of a Friend.

He doesn’t offer you a map. He offers you Himself.

So here’s the question: He’s sent you a friend request, will you accept?