Second Friend Day - Elmer Towns

CHAPTER FOUR
FRIENDS WHO HELP US
Four kinds of friends help us. First, there is the counselor-friend who guides us
through our problems. Second, there is the hero-friend who motivates us to achieve
greater things. Third, there is the teacher-friend who instructs us and gives us wisdom.
And fourth, there is the coach-friend who supports and encourages us.
A COUNSELOR-FRIEND GUIDES US THROUGH PROBLEMS
Who is a counselor-friend? These are friends with whom we spend most of our
time talking. When we are discouraged, they have coffee with us, and when we are
confused, they sit and listen. They do not always give us advice, but they are there to
listen.
As our counselor-friend listens to us, we are able to see ourselves better. They
allow us to ventilate our feelings to get the bitterness or disappointment out of the way.
Sometimes we blow off steam to them, but never at them. When we see our anger
through their eyes, we learn to control it. When we look into a pool, we cannot see if the
water is clear until we brush away the foam on the top. A counselor-friend helps us push
away the foam of our anger so we can understand our feelings.
Our counselor-friends do not condemn us, reject us, or hide the truth from us.
The counselor-friend is not a professional analyst and does not have a technical
relationship to us, but nevertheless they help us. They do not pull scabs off our wounds
and hurt us, but like the Good Shepherd, they anoint our head with oil. Oil soothes, takes
away the pain, and restores normal functions. So the oil of a counselor-friend is good for
us and eases the pain of life.
Blessed is the person who has a counselor-friend, for he has someone to help him
through the problems of life.
A HERO-FRIEND MOTIVATES US
Everyone needs a friend who is a little higher, someone to lift them up. We look
up to these friends because of their accomplishments, their character, or their skills. We
want to be like them; thus, they become our role models. A hero-friend is like a radar
beam to an airplane. They point us to where we want to go. When we zero in on their
signal, they guide us through the rough spots to our goal in life.
Sometimes our hero-friend is actually above us. At other times they are our
equals. No matter where they are, two things are important. First, they are usually where
we want to be or what we want to be. Second, they relate to us. Therefore, they help us.
Our hero-friend reflects what we want to become. They motivate us to sacrifice
and work to become better. Our hero-friend makes us winners. Where a counselorfriend
supports us in our problems, a hero-friend gives us a dream of solving problems.
They are different from each other, yet both help in positive ways.
When we change hero-friends, we are usually changing our life's direction. Our
hero-friend usually reflects where we will be ten years from now. When we make a hero-