Friends and Frustrations

We all have them, those friends that think your sole purpose of life is to jump however high they demand on the spot. I recently had been building up a heavy dose of resentment toward one of my friends and this resentment came to a climax at one point last week. I was venting to my mother and little sister about this friend and they, in a godly way, were trying to convict me of my sin but I was so annoyed that I didn't bother to listen. It wasn't till later when I was reading the Bible that God hit me hard in the heart. I was reading 1 Corinthians 13 which really isn't the smart thing to do when you want to be angry. Here's how I read it.
"Becca is patient with ____
Becca must be kind to ____"
And so on. The parts that were particularly convicting had to do with not being rude, insisting on my own way, irritable (I was pretty irritable) or resentful.
It was a good lesson for me. I hope those of you who are going through things with your friends will be encouraged to know with God all things are possible, even dealing with those frustrating friends. This is a command to love others, not a request. And if God commands it we must obey. Remember that you are responsible for yourself before God, not your friends.

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." 1 Cor. 13:7

Blessings,
RD

Comments

Back in Time

I pulled into the laneway of a home that I'm sure would have looked quaint if I could have seen it through all the trees. The sign by the road read "hanging baskets and railroad ties" and lo and behold that was just what I was looking for (I mean the railroad ties, not the hanging baskets). I parked close to the grass incase a buggy had to get by and slipped out of the red mini van. I didn't see anyone. That, however, does not mean that someone did not see me. I strolled over to look at the flowers to wait for someone to come out and see what the crazy girl with the pony-tail was doing on their property. A large dog, missing his right eye, managed to find me first and it was while I was petting this friendly, half blind, beast that the house seemed to spit out a young lady. She was wearing a long dress, an apron, and a head covering. She walked toward me with a smile and I recognized her from a singing I had gone to at the neighbors place a few months earlier. I ...

Mending your Fence

Since the weather has been warmer than usual this past week I've noticed some strange happenings in day to day life, both in the world and in the church. Somehow it seems that one of our good friends wants to be seen more and more, her name is Skin. Skin does not really like to be covered up by clothing when it is nice and warm out so we give her her lead and let her soak up one of her best friends, Sunshine. This is all fine and dandy for Skin and Sunshine but there is a problem with one of our other good friends, Eyes. Eyes LOVES winter because that's when Skin is controlled in the wonderful boundaries of clothing. However, when spring comes around it's as if Skin is too strong for the fence of clothing and she is let free to run wild. This causes a lot of trouble and anxiety for Eyes. Eyes wants to glorify God by not tempting the heart it's involved with to lust. Now, what God created Eyes for was to look at things and to see the good things God has done. It's tr...

Gifts; A Joyful Face

I sat at the booth and checked my phone to make sure my friend knew where to find me. She had just parked and was walking over. Perfect. I ordered a cup of tea and was contentedly sipping on it when she entered. Seeing me immediately, she made a beeline for our table, took her seat, and looked up. Her face was filled with joy as she asked how I was. "I'm good," I said, slightly amused. "Why are you so happy?" "Oh," she shrugged. "I just am." "I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices." ~Psalm 16:8-9a "As in water face reflects face, so the heart of a man reflects the man." ~Proverbs 27:19 Amidst all the sorrow and anger and fighting of our broken world this woman's face stood out. The joy in her eyes reflected the joy of her heart; a heart that had spent time with Jesus. Throug...

by jot and tittle

Search This Blog