I am finding it is very important for us as believers to surround ourselves with people of like mind. When I have tried to tell myself that hanging out with non believing friends will be ok for me, I fall fast and hard. I know that it is important to have non believing friendships so you can invest in them and show them God's love, but it is entirely another thing to rely on them to be there for us. It says in 2 Corinthians 6:14,15 (NLT)
14 Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? 15 What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil[a]? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?
That is a strong warning for us to make sure who we surround our selves with. My sister shared her journey with how she put trust in her friends. When the time came for her to go through some heavy stuff, like my best friends murder, losing our aunt and finally our grandmother passing away, none were there to comfort her. They pretended for a bit but never really invested in my sisters pain. This caused my sister to feel alone and forsaken. My sister had put her focus on friends that had no idea what true love was all about.
Later she shared that while attending her church she became jealous of the relationships other women in the church shared. She longed for such a relationship but hadn't realized her investment in her old friends was fruitless. Finally at the end of herself she joined a small group in her church and fast made amazing loving friends that she had longed for. God finally showed her what true friendship was all about.
Colosians chapter 3 talks about a new life we have in Christ. It tells us to leave the old way and live in the new. It seems so easy yet our flesh keeps us going back to the old ways. Why do we feel so guilty for putting our priority on Christ? Why do we feel obligated to compromise for our earthly friendships? They don't give us any comfort or respite, yet we invest heavily into them. We are willing to fight to the death even to keep unhealthy relationships alive.
Yet God has warned us about these possible deadly relationships all throughout the bible. Jesus tells the young ruler to give up everything and follow Him. Which makes me ask myself: What am I putting in the way of Christ? Some of us it is friendships that aren't healthy. Some of us it's partying, dancing, drinking, drugs, pornography or money. I could list a million other things but you, I hope, get my point. What ever we put over Christ is something that will ultimately destroy us. It is time to focus on the perfect friend we have, Jesus. If we center everything in our lives on Christ then healthy starts to happen and we can truly focus on life.
God Bless
