I have a good friend who has said several things that have been more hurtful than perhaps he knows. I have thought about how to approach this with him. I know that it hasn’t been intentional and for that reason I have thought about letting it go, but it still bothers me. Then there are the days that I think that I owe it to our relationship to say something. I really don’t think he would be offended and would actually agree with me if he took the time to think it through, but I don’t want to hurt his feelings either. This has been going on for several months now and perhaps I need to put my big boy pants on and just move on.
Now before I get cards and letters asking me who the person is, let me be clear that it isn’t family or anybody I am involved in ministry with – and it’s not somebody who is a regular reader of this blog….
….Okay, so I just stopped writing for ten minutes and handled it. I called the person and it went great. I trusted the depth of the friendship and my trust was well founded. As I suspected, the person didn’t realize what they had done but completely understood once I talked out the issue. I feel better about the whole thing and the relationship can move on without interruption.
So rather than dwell on the issue any more, it seems like it is time to get to the verse of the evening. I have chosen a verse on friendship – after all that is what this is all about. From the Proverbs we are told, in Prov. 27:6, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” In other words, if the friendship is strong and authentic, it can sustain problems and periodic hurts. I am pleased to report that the faith I have in my friend has not been unfounded. My encouragement for this evening is that God has placed friends in our lives to assist us and be there through good times and rough times. My prayer is that you have access to friends who are as steadfast and authentic as the ones I have. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…