How To Deal With Friendship Issues? - A Christian Approach.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

What just ran across your mind when you read the word above? You and your buddy watching football games till morning? You and your BFF trying out overpriced dresses and take selfies in the fitting room? You and your gang gossiping about everyone else outside your circle? Or perhaps, you and your best friend fighting over trivial affairs?

    No doubt, we all have friends. We all do. If not a hundred, then at least we have one or two. But it doesn't matter how many friends you have, some point in life you are going to have friendship plights. Nobody wants it to happen, but it is totally inevitable. Some friendships typically fall to pieces due to stupid fights, some break down because of overwhelming jealousy, some betrayals, some distance, and......... It is actually hard to generalize about friendship issues.

    When you really do care about your friend, these heart staggering situations can kill you. Imagine if your best friend sold your secrets to another person, or gossiped about your personal affairs, or threw a tantrum for peanuts. Well of course not everybody can be affected by friendship complications, some don't give a heck, while some care way too much.

Proverbs 17:17

    Now, how do we deal with friendship issues? Yes crying our lungs out is an option, but crying doesn't make the misery pass from sight. As a Christian myself, the first thing that we should do is PRAY. 

    1. Talk to God about it. Before you do anything else, pray. Don't shout at your friend, don't run to an empty room and burst your heart out, most importantly don't go away scattering titter-tatter about your friend. Calm down, take a deep breath, and think "What would Jesus do?".

    2. Reflect on Bible verses about friendships. There are actually many teachings about friendships in the Bible. Here is a short list of bible verses about it.

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 

Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Proverbs 17:9 Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.

Proverbs 16:28 A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.

Luke 6:31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 

These are the verses I reflect about when I fall into the dark pit. 

    3. Let Jesus be your best friend. Yeah I know, Jesus cannot be physically present to share our joy and sorrows, we cannot go on a shopping spree with Him, we cannot talk over coffee and toast and the cafe, we cannot even see Him. BUT, he is always present. Where? In our hearts. We can feel Him, and we can hear Him too! He is forever loyal, patient, kind, and most of all He would never hurt us.

What a friend we have in Jesus

    4. Final step. What to do about it? First, think about the whole dreadful situation that just happened. maybe your friend did not mean to break your heart. Maybe there is an unknown story behind? Always examine, before you judge. If you still feel incredibly uneasy, why not talk to your friend about it? Sort things out together and share your thoughts. 

    No man can live alone. But Robinson Crusoe did! Yes he did but I am pretty sure he must have been lonely. To have true friends, you must first be one. Doesn't matter if nobody takes you to heart, it's okay if you cannot find your niche, you still have Jesus. AMEN????