Friendships or Hardships

Good Afternoon.  Friendship can be one of the best relationships you can have in life.  I know some people that have been friends since elementary school while some have been friends since college.  It’s amazing to me that in some cases, the individuals we think will be with us for life are the main ones we lose in this journey call life.  None of the people I would consider friends back then are in my life now.  The one that I would have never thought would be my friend is that person.

When you are young and even old, you may have friends that may persuade you to participate in situations you know are wrong.  At the time, you are a rider so you’re not thinking about the consequences of said actions.  You and your friends see an individual that may not be dressed as nice as you.  You make fun of this person.  This person hears, and you can tell they feel ashamed.  Do you stop or say anything to your friends?  No, because that’s what your friends are doing.  You want to be included in the clique so to speak. 

Let me give you another example.  There is a young lady that comes to church every Sunday, but she’s dresses like she just came in from the club.  The woman doesn’t have anything else to wear.  She has no money to buy better clothing.  She knows she wants to change her life, so she starts with the church.  Do you befriend the young lady and let her know what is appropriate wear?  Do you or the gossipers offer to help get her better clothing?  No, you and the gossipers just talk about her behind her back.  She knows it because she’s watching you do the talking.  The young lady never comes back to church.  She sees the church folk as being no better than the people in the world.    

We as children of God should not uphold anything or participate in anything that is not of him.  Proverbs 12:26 (NKJV) says, “The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray.”  God’s word says we should choose our friends carefully.  Some of you right now are in toxic relationships.  For some reason you are holding on to them for some reason or the other.  They take and take, but never give back.  These friends are hardships to you.  Hardships mean something or in this case someone that causes or entails suffering or privation.  Search yourself so you can identify why you continue to hold on to this person(s).  Ask God to show you how to release them and move on.  Have a Blessed Day!