The ancient Greeks told the legend of Damon and Pythias.  Pythias was accused of plotting against the brutal ruler of Syracuse, Dionysius, who sentenced Pythias to death for treason.  Pythias accepted his sentence, but asked Dionysius for leave to settle his affairs before his execution.  The tyrant refused, thinking he would simply escape, until Pythias’ friend Damon offered to be held in his place.  If Pythias failed to return for his execution, Damon agreed, he would die in his friend’s place.  Pythias returned just as Dionysius was about to execute Damon…and so moved by their display of friendship, he released them both.

Now, to be sure, we are not often presented with opportunities to be imprisoned or to die for a friend.  But Damon’s actions are a good reminder that true friendship is much more than laughing over lunch or hanging out on a Saturday afternoon.  True friendship will require something of us, especially when our friends are facing difficulty.  And it will usually require of us more than just a word of encouragement or a pat on the back—it means we must at least to suffer with them, if not for them.

Today, the world is convinced that we must put ourselves first; that we should be our own best friend.  Quotes like, “If you make friends with yourself, you’ll never be alone,” and “The problem with putting other people first is that you’ve taught them you come second,” are everywhere.

It is a perfect example of the kind of “friendship” Ambrose Bierce described in the satirical Devil’s Dictionary: “A ship big enough to carry two in fair weather, but only one in foul.”

Jesus told the disciples that “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”  If we would have true friends, we must be true friends—and that means staying on board the ship, even—indeed, especially—when it storms.  Are you that kind of friend?

Have a wonderful day.