Are you a friend or acquaintance?

For some time the problem of identifying the differences between friends and acquaintances has dogged me.  As I see it an acquaintance is often thought of as a business contact, a waitress/waiter at the coffee shop or someone you see at your favorite grocery store. A friend is someone who sticks with you. As the song says, “Thank you for being a friend, thank you for being a confidant . . .” Yet in our fast paced world too often the two get confused. So I sat down and thought about what are the differences between friends and acquaintances. I also asked my wife, and some friends what they thought and below are some ideas.  
§  A friend spends time with you, even when it is inconvenient. An acquaintance spends time with you because it is part of business.
§  A friend will tell you when you have messed up in order to make you better. An acquaintance will tell you that you are great in order to use you for their purposes.
§  A friend does not care if they get credit for helping you. An acquaintance always wants accolades when they do the most minor thing for you.
§  A friend will quickly forgive. An acquaintance will hold a grudge and often undermine your career.  
§  A friends walks with you when you fail. An acquaintance walks away from you when you are no longer a success.
§  A friend remembers your last name. An acquaintance calls you by pronouns like; “Hey,” “Dude,” “Bro,” “Buddy,” “Ummmm . . .” (Really? They don’t care enough to remember your name!)
§  A friend will invest their strengths in your life so you can be a future success. An acquaintance will help only when they can have a guaranteed return.
§  A friend will pray for you and with you. An acquaintance will gossip about you and others.

This is not a comprehensive list. Can you think of others differences between a friends and an acquaintance?

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