Sunday, September 1, 2013

Get to Stepping

In a room full of people, sometimes you feel lonely. It's as if no gets you, and no one understands what it is that you're going through. In the heat of bad times, when nothing seems to be going right, and you pull out your phone to reach out to someone; to call a friend, no one comes to mind. Of all of the people that call you for advice, out of all of the people who call you for favors, none of them could be called on in your time of need. You didn't want to burden your parents, you didn't feel comfortable expressing yourself to your mentor, and you couldn't think of a friend to call. Wait, something is not right? You're Mr.Popular, everyone admires you, but no one understands you. You are a well respected young lady, sought after by many, admirable from afar, but no one really knows the inner you, not even the people you call friend. You don't know whether or not you have trust issues, or if the people around you are legitimately seat fillers at the lunch table, company when you're bored, or consistent associates. They pump you up, and talk a good game when you're around, but you're not certain whether or not they really have your back, and honestly you're afraid that if the true test of friendship were to arise, that the people in your circle, your inner circle would fail miserably. 

A friendship is an agreement in which both individuals have enough common interest, likes, and dislikes to get to know one another. A friendship is a relationship in which people go out of their way to lend both a hand and shoulder to one in his or her time of need. A friend can be called on at any time of the day or night. Friends encourage one another to stand up, step forward, and to stretch out for scripture tells us in Proverbs 12:26, "The Godly give good advise to their friends the wicked lead them astray."  Friends challenge one another to be faithful in all aspects. Friends have a certain level of respect for all individuals. Friends are open to one another and seek God in good and bad times. Friends keep something's on the inside in the closet of their friendship. Friends tell one another when one feels or takes offense to the action of the other. Friends don't allow relational issues outside of the friendship to destroy the friendship. Friends can count on one another to be there. Friends support one another. Friends socialize frequently, often study, and consistently pray for one another. 

When did we come to a place where the word friend, was a casual label given to anyone willing to facilitate a good time? 
People that flee when trouble comes are not friends. People who always want, and never give are not friends. People who misuse, abuse, and abandon you frequently, are not friends. The people that you socialize with, people that you know secretly prey that you fail in anything you seek to succeed in, but pretend the opposed in your presence are not your friend. Yet, you still find the strength to do everything you can for them. There are some people in your life that you know, are no good for you, and it's time to acknowledge the truth. 

We find ourselves in friendships built off of a foundation of brokenness and because we're scared of being alone, we fuel the flame. We go out of our way to compromise our beliefs because we don't want to lose any friends. 1 Corinthians 15:33 states," Don't be fooled by those who say such things, for "bad company corrupts good character"."  We want to be accepted by everyone, we partake in activities that we know aren't pleasing in the eye site of God in an attempt to please our so called friends, but when trouble comes those same friends are the first ones gone, something has got to give. 
A song writer by the name of Joseph M. Scriven wrote a song in 1855 that said," What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer." Everyone is not meant to be your friend, if you say that you love God, and you say that you trust him, why not trust him enough to allow him to take complete control in every aspect of your life, including that of friendships? One of the greatest examples of friendship to date was that of our friend Jesus. Scripture tells us,"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). It is through this example that we see that a friendship must first have love, because if there is no love there is no foundation, and things will always seem to fall apart. Every argument will be full of statements in which both parties hit below the belt, and specialize in belittling one another. The next element is sacrifice. By laying down his life on Cavalry's cross Jesus showed the extent to which he would go to solidify our right to the tree of life. Rights by which not one of us deserved or earned based on our own merit, but gained through his love and sacrifice. If you have friends who are too busy to be there for you in your time of need, you don't have friends. If you have friends who won't purchase one value fry when you're hungry knowing that they have enough to share, you don't have friends. If you have friends who blow everything out of proportion, who seemingly take pride in doing nothing, striving no where, hanging off of your coat tail they're not friends. You don't need cheerleaders, you need to be surrounded by team players who are willing to help you, and encourage you as you do God's will, remember that Proverbs 27:17 schools us by letting us know that, "As iron sharpens iron, friends sharpen the minds of each other." 

Let us bow: 

Lord, 

We thank you for your love, joy, peace, grace, mercy and compassion. More specifically Lord we thank you for the great example that you set before as a true friend and we acknowledge that there are people in our inner circle that you've not ordained as our friend. We accept the reality of the fact that we often times mislabel relationships in our lives and sometimes misinterpret the presence of some people in our lives. Now Lord we've come to a place where we feel stuck, we feel obligated to certain friendships, and obligated to certain relationships and we need your love, strength, and power that we might be able to rise above the foolishness and step out on faith, that we might tell those who only seek to harm us, hurt, & deceive us to get to stepping. Have you way God, like only you can. It is in the most sufficient name of Jesus we pray, Amen! 
 


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