There’s an old saying: “blood is thicker than water.” It means family should always matter more than friends. Solomon might not have believed that because his own dad’s life told a different story.

David was the youngest of eight brothers. And when the prophet Samuel showed up looking for the next king of Israel, nobody even bothered to call David in from the field where he was watching sheep. Later, when David brought food to his brothers at the army camp, his oldest brother made fun of him in front of everybody. Not exactly a supportive family moment.

But you know who did stick by David? Jonathan. And here’s the crazy part...Jonathan was the son of King Saul, the guy trying to get rid of David. Jonathan had every reason to see David as competition. But instead, he became David’s best friend and protected him over and over.

Jonathan said one of the greatest friendship sentences in the whole Bible: “Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you.” David never heard anything close to that from his own brothers. But don’t skip the first half of the verse: “A man who has friends must himself be friendly.” Want a true friend? Be one. It starts with you.

Take Action: Be a true friend this week. Look around for somebody who could use one—the kid eating alone, the kid who got left out of the game, the new kid, the friend who’s been quiet lately. Then do one specific thing: sit down next to them, wave them into the game, or just ask, “Hey, are you doing okay?” and actually listen. Jonathan didn’t make a speech. He showed up.