Wise Friends
“Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.” Proverbs 13:20 (NLT)
Dear Friend,
A few weeks ago, I was chatting with some friends when I received what I deemed to be a passive aggressive text message from another friend. Immediately, my attitude changed. I felt stressed, frustrated, and irritated. Over the last few months, I noticed the friendship with this person was changing. I vented my frustration concerning the situation to fellow devotional writer and sis, Jess Blessed. Jess said, “Friendship is not supposed to be stressful. Have you spoken to your friend about your concerns?” I admitted I had not discussed the situation with my friend because that person was often in a very fragile mental state and I didn’t want to add to their problems. Jess simply said to me, “ That sounds like the person is depressed. Remember 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8. Love is patient. Love is kind.” Can I be honest with you? At that moment, I didn’t want to hear about love at all! I wanted to walk away from the friendship. But I knew what Jess said was the word of God and therefore the truth. I wasn’t being patient. I wasn’t being kind. I needed to be a better friend.
Who is in your circle? Who do you allow to speak into your life? Is this person a fool? Is this person wise? We often become like the people we closely surround ourselves with. I am grateful Jess spoke the word even when it wasn’t what I wanted to hear. If I had gotten advice from an unwise person, I would have fed my thoughts of walking away from a friendship just because I was being selfish when I should have been compassionate. We live in a culture of “No new friends” and “Unfriending” on social media and in actual life over the smallest infractions. Real friends don’t leave when things get hard. Real friends tell you the truth in love. Real friends are patient. Real friends are kind. Real friends don’t speak negatively of their friends. Before being upset with the other person, ask yourself, “Am I being a good friend?”
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Becoming a better friend,
Tracye M.
