How Should Christians Respond To “Fair-Weather Friends” Who Are Believers?
Q: Your commentary on Proverbs 17:17 says that a fair-weather friend is no friend at all. How should believers respond to fair-weather friends, especially if they also claim to be believers?
Proverbs 17:17 – A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
Enduring Word Bible Commentary on Proverbs 17:17– A true friend will not only love when it is easy, but at all times. What used to be called fair-weather friends – those who are friends only when the weather is pleasant and fair – are not true friends at all.
A: I hate to be blunt, but we should not expect that we will find very many true friends throughout our life. And people who are our true friends may be such close true friends only for a season. Maybe they move in and later move out; circumstances can change in life. So, it’s easy for us to overestimate the depth and the quality of a friendship. I think this proverb speaks for itself. Perhaps it should temper our expectations as to how many true friends we may have in life. It should also deepen our appreciation for people who are our true friends.
Obviously, every one of us would want to have a friend, or be a friend, who would never let somebody down. That’s true, but there is grace, and there is forgiveness. We can look for God’s restoration even when a close friend messes up, or when we are disappointed that someone is not as close as we hoped they would be. Ultimately, this should help us value true friendship all the more.