WHAT ARE YOU?

“The more we love, the better we are, and the greater our friendships are, the dearer we are to God.” – Jeremy Taylor

Friendships are valuable in our lives. Everyone wants "a real friend" for many reasons. Nobody wants to feel lonely and a friend can help you through this process. You need a friend if you are in trouble, to make fun with, to share experiences, to talk with and to be there for each other. However, it might not really be easy to find a good quality friend; there are many qualities a real friend should possess.

George Fox was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends. Fox complained to judges about extremely harsh decisions he considered morally wrong, as in his letter on the case of a woman due to be executed for theft. He campaigned against the requirement to pay tithes, which was a tax to fund absentee landlords. He was arrested numerous times for speaking out. In 1660, after his arrest in Lancaster, a Friend went to Oliver Cromwell, the leader of England, and offered himself, body for body for Fox. If Cromwell would accept the substitution, the friend would be imprisoned and Fox would be set free. Cromwell was so struck with the offer that he said to his council, "Which of you would do as much for me if I were in the same condition?" Although he could not accept Fox's friend's offer, because it was contrary to law, yet the power, he said, and truth of this generous offer "came mightily over him."Cromwell met with Fox several times in next few years and each time was impressed with Fox's faith and the loyalty of his friends.

These are some qualities every friend should have: