Hey Sis…recently, my sissy came up with this brilliant idea for our friends to de-clutter. Each day we were to take a small piece of our house and get rid of anything that we didn’t need or use anymore. It’s a great way to do deep cleaning without getting overwhelmed with how looming the job seems. (Not for nothin, I found some stuff I forgot to remember and stuff I remembered to forget. Stuff that made me laugh out loud like it was my first time seeing it, and stuff that threatened to break my heart all over again. All in all I would recommend it).
Anyway, she found a bible study plan to go with it. (Again, not for nothin, am I the only one that has severe problems with the YouVersion Bible app?!) It wouldn’t let me open the study!! But she has been keeping me updated. One day was totally devoted to cleaning out your friends (not apart of your house, but just as important!), which is exactly what I wanted to blog about today! (Hello, confirmation!)
I have always taken my friendships seriously. It takes a lot for me to call you a friend. Friends are like the family I get to choose (is that a real saying or did I make it up? Because it’s brilliant!), and I try very hard to choose wisely. It always boggles my mind, watching how some women treat their “friends”. I’ve watched women gossip about friends with an almost sadistic delight, discussing tragic events as if it was the latest episode of the hottest show. I always think, “what does she say about me and the stuff I’m going through, when I’m not around? Geesh!”. It’s sad. This type of woman doesn’t love herself enough to be a good friend. And probably hasn’t received love, to accept a good friend.
“Yes” men are not friends. I’ve seen people make destructive decisions. Decisions that affect more people than just themselves. And their “friends” just watch. How do they not say ANYTHING?! No “hey you may wanna re-think this” or “Have you prayed about this?” or “You wrong”.
I like to surround myself with like-minded people. I don’t think we should be all alike, sharing the same brain. Differences are what make us unique! But we should all have common goals. People that support and encourage and uplift, but also those who will call me on the carpet when I’m out of order. I want friends that love me enough, to tell me the truth. Godly truth, told in love. I want friends that can pray for me, pray me through. I’m surrounded by this type of friend. Women that will drop what they are doing to say a prayer for me. They are willing to go to God on my behalf. And I do the same for them!
To have that kind of friend, you have to be that kind of friend. Proverbs 18:24 says “A man that has friends must show himself friendly…”. The Basic English Translation says “There are friends who may be a man’s destruction…”, The company you keep not only affects your now, but affects your future. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says “Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals”. And the more our morals decline, the more we justify it and think it’s ok. And when we began to reap the harvest of our bad decisions, we will notice those friends are long gone!
As women of God we are called to be separate. But there are times that we may slip, or make bad decisions. Or there may be times where we can’t find our way back to God, where our prayer life struggles, or where our spirits are weak. Those are times that true friends step in and help! Observe your friendship circle and de-clutter where necessary. Pray for friends that stand in the gap for you, not friends that widen the gap between you and God.
