Between You And God #18

Dear God, I have this friend, or so I think. Some days we get along, but some days she’s really bossy. What should I do?

Friendships provide us with some of our best times. Sometimes, though, we give our hearts to friends who don’t always treat us kindly. That can mean some of our worst times! One minute we can be talking to someone we think is our best friend till she treats us poorly. Later, she’ll act nice again. That’s when some decisions have to be made.

One choice you could make about your friend would be to do whatever she tells you to do. That would work for a while, but she’d get sick of you following her around and you’d get sick of her bossing you. You could stop being friends right away. But both of you might miss out on some good times if you did that.

Friends love each other, and the Bible says that love is patient and kind. How did Jesus treat his friends? He took time with his friends and had fun with them, but he also brought it to their attention if they did or said something wrong. He did not gossip about his friends, nor act meanly, nor turn his back on them. But he also realized that people who set out to harm him, or didn’t have his best interests in mind, were not his friends, even if they pretended to be.

Tell your friend how you feel, and listen to see if you are hurting her, too. Quietly point out if she’s hurt you, and listen to her if she says she needs you to act differently sometimes too. But if none of this works and being together feels like work more often than fun, it might be time to reconsider your friendship.

Be a friend, and choose friends like Jesus.

How about You?

Do you have a friend who treats you unkindly? What can you do? Is there a friend whom you treat unkindly? How can you change?

God Says . . .

Love is patient and kind. 1 Corinthians 13:4