True Friends

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.  Proverbs 27:17

What is a true friend? One who loves and accepts you warts and all, yet is not afraid to be honest with you. One you can laugh with and one you can cry with.  One who you can tell a secret to and not be afraid it will turn into town gossip. 

In my life I am blessed to call many people true friends. Friends build each other up and share each other's joys and sorrows. They are there for you when you need moral support. They will love you unconditionally. They like to be with you. They are kind and not back stabbers. They will stand up for you when others criticize you. They think of others before themselves. 

Are you a good true friend? Have you picked up the phone recently and set up a time for coffee to reconnect with someone? There is a saying "If you want to be a friend you need to show yourself friendly." Is there someone who could use you for a true friend in their life? 

PRAYER: There are so many people around who don't have a true friend. I thank you for giving me courage at times to make the first move. Thank you for the gift and blessing of friendship, especially friendship in Christ. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God 'Likes' You And Won't Unfriend You

Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Psalm 27:10

I am trying to get beyond the unfriending thing on Facebook. Just the other day I noticed I no longer could contact someone and noted they have removed me from their friends list. Perhaps they deactivated their account all together. It is kind of funny in someways to think this type of 'friend' thing really holds that much weight. But being unfriended is rejection no matter what the reason was.

Just remember this. God never rejects you. God loves you unconditionally. You can never drive God nutty. God does not say "You're stalking me". God does not say "Respect my boundaries".  God does not say "Get out of my face". Above all God cares and understands.. Sure His heart breaks when we do not obey Him and when we reject Him but He is waiting for you with arms wide open.

Are you hurting today because of any form of rejection? Just know God loves you more than anything. Go to Him in prayer and let Him take your scars and turn them into stars.

PRAYER: Father I thank you so much for loving me. Humans can hurt us and that makes you sad. Help me to grow despite any pain of rejection I have experienced in my lifetime. In Jesus' name. Amen.

New Friends, Old Friends!

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

If you do not speak up to strangers you may never make friends. I have found this to be true that someone has to make the first move to speak up. For instance, in the locker room at Redstone Arsenal recently I said hi to a young lady and ended up talking fifteen minutes and found out she was new to the post and her husband was active duty. Basically no friends or connections yet. I gave her my card(even if you do not have a job you can have cards made up) and talked to her about Moms in Prayer since I found out she had children at home. I look forward to hopefully hearing from her.

If you feel lonely sometimes you have to take the initiative to be first in calling someone or sending a card.  Don't always wait for others to contact you. There is a saying "Make new friends and keep the old one is silver and the other gold!" That is so true. Don't get cliquish and not include others. Look for hurting or lonely people because they are everywhere. Sometimes a smile is all it takes to brighten someone's day. 

Show God's love wherever you are today. Open a door for someone at a store. Let someone in front of you in line. Pay it forward perhaps in a drive thru. Give an unexpected gift to a friend. Call your mom if she is still alive, or your dad. Send a card to someone. Now go spread friendliness!

PRAYER: Thanks so very much Lord for helping me show your love to others. Thank for helping me love even the unlovable. I choose to be kind and nice and do it because it makes you happy. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Bad Company Corrupts Morals

Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." 1 Corinthians 15:33

 Parents always delight when their children choose good friends. While they are still under your roof from ages birth to 5, it is pretty easy to control friendships but once they enter the "world" it is up to you to pray and for them to choose wisely. This is not to say parents of young people should sit around fretting about relationships but indeed your job is to pray and keep praying. Even when the picture may look bleak God is not done yet.

Bad friends can lead youth into immoral activity, drunken binges, drugs, pornography, and a life of crime and take them away from their church upbringing. Many a heartbroken parent has wondered what happened and why their son or daughter chose what they did. God uses all things to draw us back to Him. Sometimes a person might have to be flat on his back before he bothers to look up to the Savior.

 Do not be misled. You can not continue to live a life away from God and full of sin and get away with it.  The lusts of the flesh may entice but my friend run fast and far away from them.

PRAYER: Lord I need you every hour. Lord I pray for those I may know who are disinterested in you. Lead them to the cross. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Close Calls

I thank my God every time I remember you. Philippians 1:3

 Recently as I sat down to write and turned on my computer, Facebook stuff popped up. I read for first  post where my daughter in law had been hit by a car while riding her bike to work that morning.After a call to my son I was cool, she is okay but 3000 miles away. After I waited, and tried to get to writing, the tears came. I was so thankful she was okay. For a brief moment I experienced the panic that sets in when a family member finds out something is wrong with another family member. Both my son and his wife are medical professionals so deal with hurting families all the time and now they were the hurting family.

 Have you gone through the unimaginable where you are enjoying a wonderful day then comes the dreaded phone call? This call changes your day and sometimes your life. A car accident. A son or daughter injured or killed in the war. A parent has died. Whatever the news we are never really ready to have it happen. There is never a good time.

The first thing to try to do is remain as calm as possible and to pray. Prayer has a way of soothing your soul in the toughest of times. Just try to get alone and be calm with God and let Him do the rest. Above all be thankful for those around you daily!

PRAYER: Lord you are my great comfort in the trials of life. When the unexpected happens you are there. Oh Lord I thank you for watching over me and my family. I praise your name forever. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Got Friends?

A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.Proverbs 18:24

Friends are extremely important to me. In my 30 years moving around with the United States Army many of our fellow military and civilian friends have become like a second family to us. We have shared holiday meals and done many things together. I am blessed with a very  large Christmas card list. There have been losses of friends though too, some to early death and some who just were tired of being my friend. Those hurt.

If you have ever been jilted by a dear friend it is very painful and confusing. Nothing you can say or do matters so it is best to let it go and shake the dust off your feet so to speak. Concentrate on the friends who do appreciate you with all the quirks that come with you. Don't force anyone to like you. Only God can change a heart. 

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for the blessing of friendship. Thank you for the way. You have brought people into my life and the lessons I learned from those who "unfriended" me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Breaking Through

God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect. 2 Samuel 22:33(KJV) 

To get beyond a problem in your life you have to press on to other things and not dwell on the bad stuff. Consciously make your thoughts focus "above", staying positive and thinking about how much God loves you. I had to do this as a very special friend shut me out of her life. I wanted to dwell on it and try to fix things but realized that was beyond my ability. Only God could set things straight. Sometimes those bad things help us "break through" to better things that lie beyond the hurt and the pain.  

God alone is your strength. He gives you the power and ability to get through every day no matter how tough it may seem. Our enemy Satan, is the character who wants people to continually dwell on hurts, rejection, and pain. God can and does set us free from all the junk swirling around us and provides hope for a brighter tomorrow. You only need to let Him into your life. 

PRAYER: You have great things in store for me Lord and I choose to think about your mighty power and wonders instead of letting issues in life get me down. I choose to look to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.