“Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family.” Proverbs 18:24 The Message

There’s a saying, “blood is thicker than water,” which means you’ll usually be closer to your “blood” relatives than to your “water” friends.

And I love my family. I really do.

I come from a great legacy of integrity, character … and love. We don’t have great wealth. We aren’t famous for anything. We’re not ever going to make headlines. But we love each other.

My mom has always been prayerfully supportive of me, and has loved me with a true unconditional love (and believe me, in my younger days, I threw out all kinds of conditions). My siblings are great examples of God-honoring people of faith, and they’ve raised genuinely terrific children. Now we have the next generation with my eldest niece’s children. They, too, are being raised to love and honor God—and each other.

There’s only one problem. We live hundreds (even thousands) of miles from each other, and we see each other rarely. Yes, we can call, text or facebook each other, but it’s not the same.

So, God has brought me other families that I love. I really do.

I have an amazing husband who, after nearly 22 years of marriage, is my best friend. He’s my family. He supports me and loves me with a quiet, certain love.

And my other family? My friends. I have a handful of friends to whom I can go—to rejoice—to celebrate—to mourn. These friends really are as close as sisters. They pray for me. They laugh with me. They cry with me.

I’m blessed beyond measure that, when I can’t be with my blood family, I can be with my “water family.”

And water can be pretty thick sometimes.

Sauni Rinehart is a speaker, vocalist, and writer through Triple-E Ministries (www.saunirinehart.com) or visit her blog at http://saunirinehart.blogspot.com. She is also involved in worship arts and women’s ministries at her home church. She and her husband make their home in Eastvale, California.
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