“Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.” (Proverbs 27:9)

In Proverbs 27:9 we see two distinctive and common biblical elements; oil and perfume. These two elements represent something sacred, a luxury, a gift. It is so rare and beautiful that you can’t help but treasure it. Verse nine suggests that while it is great to have your friends over for a party or celebration, it is truly better to have people in your life that see you, know your secrets, and love you just the same.

Friends that see you at the worst and still choose to fight for you. Friends that walk through many seasons, trials, joys, and sorrow but love you the same, if not more. These types of friends are rare and they are a precious gift that we must treasure.

It is easy to find the friends that agree with everything you say, or chose to shrink back and remain silent when they see you making poor choices. But, it is harder to find the dangerous friends. The friends that ask you the hard questions, the ones that don’t let you sit in your sin, the ones who speak the truth in love and carry you to the foot of the Cross when you cannot muster up the courage to make it on your own.

As we walk through life we can only hope to find people who love us in this way and continue to show us glimpses of how much Jesus loves us.

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Recently I celebrated my 28^th birthday (yay) and my three best friends surprised me with several things, including a delicious dinner with just the four of us. At dinner they blessed me by sharing what they loved about me, and the ways they have seen me grow.

While sitting there I realized that I was more willing to accept and believe the truth they were speaking into my life because they were also the first ones to call me out on my sin. They were the ones who pointed out the ways I was trying to hide or run from God or the harmful things and people that would only hurt me in the end.

Then they were the first to pray and cry with me over it, and always stood by me as I sorted out the messes. They fought for me, and will continue to fight beside me in whatever this life brings. They provide me counsel that has my best interests at heart and they do it without selfish motives, without wanting anything in return, and it comes from a place of genuine love. They are my dangerous friends.

They are dangerous because they do not give me simple answers or ask easy questions. They display the Gospel to me, and they remind me of who I am and more importantly that I belong to a loving Father.

I am truly known and loved by three incredible women and I am a better person for it. And the craziest part is that these amazing women can only love and show me a portion of how much Christ loves me. As you continue on your college journey I challenge you to find the dangerous friends.