Gerdi was invited to spend a weekend with her college friends, but she didn’t want to go. She had breast cancer, had lost all of her hair, and felt embarrassed to be in public or have her picture taken with her friends.

After wrestling with the decision, she decided to buy a wig, hoping no one would notice. When Gerdi arrived at the meeting place, she noticed something about her friends. They didn’t have any hair on their heads! Not even a wig. The other women had met at a hair salon earlier that day and had their heads completely shaved so that Gerdi wouldn’t be the only one without hair.    

What kind of friends do such a thing? The best kind. The ones who are more concerned about being there for someone who is hurting than worrying about embarrassment. 

Jesus knows you need a friend like that too. That’s why Jesus showed up at the cross wearing thorns on his head—and not just the ones that pierced his skin. The ones that pierce your heart with guilt. The ones that make you feel weak, worthless, and broken. “Surely he took up our pain,” the Bible says, “and bore our suffering” (Isaiah 53:4).

He did this to show you and me that we will always have the very best friend who’s determined to stay by our sides through everything.