4 Stories of Unconditional Friendship

Friendship can be forged like iron, and it can grow like a garden. It can blow away like leaves in the wind or stand like a tree firmly rooted in the ground.
It is those friendships that stand the fiercest storms that live on in our hearts. Please continue below to read four stories of unconditional friendship.

1. Poker Player Grand and Preacher Don

Once there was a poker player who learned to count cards. He frequented the local cafes with his troupe of poker buddies. They laughed and joked, but Grant always won. He would talk about preparation for his next tournament while thumbing through a practice deck. Grant wasn’t a gambler — he was a student of the win.

Nearby was a local preacher fellow. He didn’t have a church or a parish anymore, but he shared his faith in God wherever he went. His friend knew he was nearby when he hears the deep throaty hymns that preceded his presence.

Poker Player Grant and Preacher Don were friendly fellows and struck up a conversation at their café one day. Both were honest about their profession, and both were honest about their faith.

Grant didn’t believe God existed but has hope that he’d get around to believing one day. Don believed in following Jesus with all his heart for all his days.

For five or more years, I watched these two unlikely fellows forge a friendship in that café. But they weren’t just friends inside the café. They carried their friendship out into the world. Never did they judge each other for their beliefs. I can still see them ambling along side by side, amicably agreeing to disagree.

2. Surprise Plane Ticket

Bert sat in his office, dreading the coming days. Several years ago, he’d taken a job far from home. Now, with his mother’s failing health, he felt it was time to move back home. His eyesight wasn’t what it used to be, and he didn’t know how to make the long drive alone. His brother wasn’t available, and his sister had small kids. He signed, resigning himself to the task ahead.

The phone rang. It was his brother-in-law. He hadn’t heard from Jerry in years and worried something was wrong.

“Bert,” came the voice, “I’ve bought a plane ticket, one way. You still driving back here next week?”
Bert choked a little and pulled himself together. “Why would you do that for me, Jerry? I’ve never been nice to you. Why are you helping me now?”

Jerry paused on his end. “Well, you don’t help people when they don’t need, but I feel you need help now. I’d like to do it for you. Please let me.”

Bert swallowed his pride and accepted this generous display of friendship.

3. Someone to Listen

Two little girls were born in the same year. Their mothers were best friends, so the daughters became best friends, too. Zoe and Bailey played as little girls do, princesses, and pretend. But, one day, they grew up.

Zoe became an adventurer and traveled far and wide. On the other hand, Bailey stayed home and got married. The friendship became strained as their common interest dwindled. Years went by, and they never met anymore.

One day, Zoe got a phone call, and on the other end of the line, she can hear her childhood playmate crying. Bailey’s marriage was failing. Instead of saying, “I told you so,” which she could have done, Zoe opened her home for her friend and made Bailey feel welcome. Their friendship was reborn through one act of kindness.

4. Friend to the Rescue

Janet received a phone call from her friend Faye. Faye was up to her ears in crafts for her daughter’s annual charity sale, and all the volunteer mothers who were supposed to help had backed out at the last minute.

Janet, who really had other things to do, came to her friend’s aid. They sat for what seemed like days in front of a mountain of supplies that wouldn’t diminish in size. Faye turned to Janet and asked, “Janet, why are you here?” Janet replied, “I don’t know. You needed help, so I came.”

Friendship comes in many forms, but the best friendships come from a heart of caring for one another. A true friend is strong enough to say, “I’ll always be there for you no matter what you do.” Whether friends agree or disagree, they always have each other’s back.

The only way to have friends is to be one. Be the kind of friend you’d like to have.