Friendships That Are True

Will she talk about me behind my back? Will she keep a secret? I just don't know if I can trust her.

Thoughts like these tend to run through our head when we meet a new girl we think might make a new friend.

Spending time with the Lord this morning, I read this verse:

"A malicious man disguises himself with lips, but in his heart he harbors deceits." Proverbs 26:24 NIV

Malicious. Pretty big word for me and I wasn't all that sure I knew what it meant. To hate, be an enemy, to be unloved, shunned, to be an adversary or foe.

We've all met girls who have two faces; one in front of this group and another in front of that. So which girl is the real girl? Which one is the one trying to be your friend?

Before you decide whether or not a girl makes a great friend; know her. Truly know her. She may be trustworthy; she may be not. She may have had an experience where she has been betrayed; leaving her jaded or cynical. Bad experiences can make a girl be caddy; throwing out sarcasim for free. No one wants to be on the receiving end of painful words. When a person feels unloved, shunned or even hated, those same feelings can end up leaking their way out of their heart and often spill out onto others.

I have heard it said that wounded people wound people. It is a matter of self-defense for the heart.

When you meet a girl for the first time, what are you looking for in a friend and how do you know if she will be true? I know I could use some advice here! Just click on "comments" below!

How Far is Too Far?

Speaking at a conference recently, this question was asked: "How far is too far?"

There is a problem with that question. It's the wrong one. The real question should be, "How close can I get to Jesus so that all that is around me, all the temptations, fade?"

1 John 1:5 says "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." (NIV) In Him, there is no darkness at all.

So, if you find yourself asking question #1: "How far is too far?" maybe it is because you are not pursuing #2; getting as close to Jesus as you possibly can be.

Kathleen Dillard said, "You have as much of Jesus as you want." Let's be honest and look at our lives. Are we girls who want Him so much that there is no darkness in our lives?

Hard question, but the evidence should make it easy to answer.

God is light; in him there is no darkness. Maybe it's time for a change.