To have a good friend is worth having. There have been many times I have been frustrated with my husband, my kids, or a situation at church and I have been able to call my friend so I can share. There have been times when she's been frustrated as well and she has called me.
Funny how at first she wasn't even someone I thought would be one of my best friends, but here we are twenty-six years later and I wouldn't want to live my life without her to call on.
Even with this close friendship I often wonder "what advice should I share with her, or should I just let her share and be there for her?" Sometimes it's hard to know, and some of us have found out the hard way that sharing our heartfelt advice can be taken the wrong way.
So how do we know when we should help our friend not walk off the cliff? Or should we just let him/her fall off?
Usually, when I think I need to share something I pray about it. I know I don't have all the answers, but I know the One who does. Then sometimes I'll write it out and share with someone else if this sounds loving and not critical. After that, then I'll share knowing this came from the heart.
What if the friend takes it all wrong though? What if she/he now thinks you are the worst person on the earth and refuses to talk to you?
I guess if he/she is really a good friend eventually the friendship will be restored. Maybe one day he/she will see the heartfelt sincerity of what you had to say. Maybe he/she will realize that you were only trying to help him/her not walk off the cliff at least without a parachute.
A verse I like to teach the kids is "A friend loves at all times" Proverbs 17:17 I teach them this so they realize even if I'm mad at my friend I still love him. A good friendship is worth keeping even if you don't like what he shared with you, after praying about it each of us actually see that what she said might have had a sense of truth in it.
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