✨ Real Friends. True Love. Always.

Proverbs 17:17 — A Story About Love That Stays

📖 “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” — Proverbs 17:17 (NIV)

Some friendships feel like sunshine — easy, playful, full of giggles.
But today’s verse reminds us something even better:
real friends don’t just show up for the good parts.
And siblings? God places them in our lives to hold us up when we need it most.

Let’s sit together for a moment and enjoy this sweet story of Toto, Lulu, and little sister Lily —
because it’s such a simple picture of how love really works.

💛 When Friendship Feels Like Pure Joy

Toto and Lulu were having the best schoolyard day.
Lulu shouted,
“Toto! Let’s play hide and seek!”
And Toto laughed,
“Yay! I’ll hide first!”

Just kids being kids — running, laughing, belonging.
And honestly, that’s where most real friendships begin:
joy shared between two hearts.

💛 When Things Go Wrong, Love Shows Up

But joy can flip in a second.
As Toto ran to hide, he tripped and scraped his knee.

“Ouch… my knee hurts…”
Before the pain even fully hit, Lulu was already running toward him.

“Oh no! Are you okay? I’ll help you!”

There’s something special about that kind of friend —
the one who doesn’t walk away from your hurt…
the one who rushes toward it.

That’s real love.
Not perfect. Just present.

💛 Siblings: Love You Didn’t Even Ask For

From across the playground, Toto’s little sister Lily saw everything.
She didn’t hesitate — she grabbed the first-aid kit and sprinted straight to him.

“Big bro! I brought the bandages!”
Toto’s voice softened:
“Thanks, Lily… you’re the best.”

Sometimes siblings fight over snacks and TV shows…
but when life gets hard?
They’re the ones who show up with the bandages — literally and figuratively.

🌈 Love Shines Brightest When We’re Together

Once Toto was cleaned up and feeling better, Lulu and Lily sat beside him.
The sky decided to celebrate with a big rainbow stretching overhead.

Toto looked at them both and said:
“I feel so loved!”

And honestly?
Same.
Because moments like this remind all of us what Proverbs 17:17 is really saying:

Love stays.
Love shows up.
Love sits beside you until the hurt feels a little less sharp.

Real friends.
True love.
Always.

🌟 What We Take Away From This Story

✨ Joy shared is beautiful — but comfort shared is holy.
✨ Real friends don’t disappear when life stings a little.
✨ Siblings are God’s built-in helpers for the hard moments.
✨ Love isn’t loud — it’s steady, gentle, and present.

🙏 A Soft Prayer for Today

“God, thank You for the friends who stay close,
and the siblings who lift us when we fall.
Teach us to love that way too —
in sunny moments and stormy ones.
Amen.”