Mulching

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24 NIV)

A friend of mine recently bought a new house. She wants to do some low- maintenance landscaping just in the front yard. I suggested a few evergreen shrubs. She thought even that was too much work; plus, she preferred plants that had flowers. I jokingly told her to go ahead and plant some plastic flowers and put some rubber mulch around them. She said that one of her neighbors actually had some artificial flowers stuck in between some real plants in his flower beds. Supposedly, no one can tell them apart from the street.

Likewise, some people prefer faux friendships, because they require no maintenance. Other than the initial investment of time and energy, there is very little you have to do on a regular basis. From a distance, it’s hard to tell these relationships apart from real ones. But up close and personal, there is a difference. Authentic friends will invest in each other regularly. They are reliable and stick close. Their intertwined roots make them stronger and more resilient. They suffer and rejoice together. They hold each other accountable--speaking truth, even when it is difficult to hear. They encourage and motivate each other to be better humans. They add value to each other’s lives as well as to those around them.