Aristotle’s philosophy of friendship consisted of 3 kinds of relationships; Utility in which you are friendly to a person while they are fulfilling your need, Pleasure in which you are in a relationship as long as the other is giving you pleasure, and Virtue. The first two descriptions are a selfish kind of relationship. But the third is a love for another because of their sake – one wishes the good for the other. In my Bible class tonight, we read about the relationship between Jonathan and David. They had this virtuous kind of friendship so much so that they made a covenant – a pact – with one another to always be watching out for each other. Jonathan even went as far as to resign his kingly inheritance to David. He recognized that David would be the new king and wanted the good for him. I thought about the handful of relationships I have that fit into the virtue category and am so grateful for them.

I Found God today in an example of a virtuous friendship.