Distrust Kills Friendship

The person who would have real friends must be a friend. Though I have many that I can call friends, at least on one level, I am blest with several true soul-friends that I definitely do not deserve. These friends make my life what it is and give it a richness that fills me with profound blessing.

As I reflected upon this blessing again this morning, praying for these friends, I was reminded of an old aphorism that I believe sums up one essential for having and keeping soul-friends. The aphorism says: “We should be more ashamed to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them.” How very true. Friends will hurt you, even deceive you in rare cases, though almost always unintentionally if they are truly good people. But once you distrust your good friend the relationship is over. I do know this for sure. The one thing a deep relationship of love can not withstand, long term, is distrust.