When Friendship Shows Up In the Middle of the Night
In my line of work as a marketer, I see people as market segments and target audiences.
Most employers see their people as executors and staff.
But Scripture describes us as something much deeper. In John 15:15, Jesus says, “I no longer call you servants… Instead, I have called you friends.”
That simple statement changes everything.
From the very beginning, God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). Those words reveal how foundational relationship and community are to the essence of being human. Scripture speaks often about friendship, about those who keep confidences (Proverbs 11:13), offer wise counsel (Proverbs 27:9), and respect boundaries (Proverbs 25:17). But perhaps no one defined friendship more beautifully than Jesus Himself. He described it as a love rooted in God and expressed through personal sacrifice. “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). Jesus modeled that kind of friendship (selfless, loyal, forgiving) and then asked us to do the same: “Love each other as I have loved you.”
Over time, I’ve come to see that not all friendships are built the same. I wrote about that topic back in August. There are those who are “hi and bye,” friendly faces we greet in passing. There are others who come into our lives for a season -perhaps to teach us something, to share a chapter, or to help us grow. And then there are those rare few who are lifelines; the ones you can call in the middle of the night when things are falling apart, when you need a voice that reminds you you’re not alone.
I don’t have many that fit that last category, I’ll admit. I don’t know why. Maybe because I’ve been hurt or disappointed too many times. Maybe because I tend to love deeply, expect much, and give more than I should. But lately, I’ve realized something: even if I don’t always receive that kind of friendship, I can still BE that kind of friend.
Paul reminds us to “bear each other’s burdens” and to “be patient and forgive one another” (Colossians 3:12–13). That’s what true friendship looks like. It’s not about perfect reciprocity or equal give and take; it’s about showing up, again and again, with grace and love, the way Christ does for us.
And maybe that’s the heart of it. We were never meant to do life alone. But friendship, in its truest form, isn’t about how many people we have… it’s about how faithfully we love the few we’re given.
So, if you have my number, know this: I am that friend you can call in the middle of the night.
