You're My Friend... Until I've Had Enough

Something that frustrates me is when people don't hold on to the friendships God has given them.

We lose the passions that we once had with those people.

We had great plans that fell to pieces when we decided that we'd had enough of that person.

We've all done this. As human beings, we're pretty dysfunctional. Even if you try the excuse, "Well, I don't think I could get mad at that person..."

that's a lie.

We all get to the point in our friendships when we think, "I can't stand that person!"

And that is good. It means we're not holding back our frustrations...we're being truthful when we admit we hate someone's guts. But how do we resolve that?

Jesus said to "love your enemies" and "to love your neighbor as yourself".

Easier said than done, Jesus. But he probably knew that, too...

Usually we come to that point in a relationship where we're ready to

run away.

That point comes earlier than others in some cases. For others, it takes a while. But, we all have that threshold to cross. The question is:

Are we committed enough to that person to get through the door? To cross that threshold?

Or do we just run away from it? The truth is that more people than we would like are scared of confrontation. We're naturally scared of putting our hearts and emotions on the line. We're afraid of what the future might hold, too. Sometimes we run away because we have commitment issues (super-dysfunction). Sometimes, we

Simply

don't

care

anymore.

But if our hearts belong to Christ, we should care. If our hearts belong to Christ, whom then should we fear? Should we fear those moments when we open ourselves up to others? When we have the painful conversations? When we find each other in different places? When we find that we scared of committing to a friend (because let's face it, this person needs a lot of friendship and attention).

This is a moment for us to open up and let Christ shine through.

Occasionally, pride will get in the way. HUMBLE YOURSELF in those situations. Keep the friend that God has given to you, no matter how bad those MOMENTARY CIRCUMSTANCES are.

But most of all, GET TO KNOW THE OTHER PERSON. Make sure that you know what is going on in their lives. You must be TRUTHFUL!

COMMUNICATE!

Be open to what the other has to say, no matter how stupid that thing is.

LISTEN to what they have to say. Shut up for a moment, and focus on their needs.

Most importantly, you must be willing to treat each other with respect,

"do unto others as you would have done to yourself"

Listen to Jesus, seek his heart in the matter. He knows better than you do! And you can't do better than Him!

If things don't work out between you, it's not the end of the world. Seeking the heart of Christ and knowing what is best for each other will help you to save a friendship.

Have fun, obey God. (more on this later)

If God's plan is not for you to be with the other, then you pretty much have to suck it! Search your own souls to see what God has in store for you! Listen, listen, LISTEN! And pray for DISCERNMENT!

But know that God will calls all of us to Him, and that His plan for us was not to be divided in Him,

but to be one in Him.

After all, "no greater love is this, that a man lay down his life for his friends..."