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“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

Do you have a lot of friends?  Are they real friends, friends that will quit what they are doing and come running when you are in need?

It’s wonderful to have friends that are loyal to you, but how about you? Is it all about you or do you take time to ask someone “How are you doing?” prior to launching into a conversation regarding all your troubles?

If you are only concerned with your own problems you will not be able to keep many friends in life. Sooner or later we recognize, “Takers” because they take, take and take from us but are never there for us.

I find it interesting that when we finally decide we no longer want these takers in our lives that they act as if they don’t have a clue as to why they lost our friendship. They cannot stand the fact that they no longer have someone around to use as an emotional scapegoat. They then get paranoid,about all the things you know about them, and set out to start turning their friends and family member against you.

Isn’t it amazing that people no longer talk to you because of the evilness of other people? I used to let it bother me, but not anymore. At my age, I let it go. I try to ignore them. I go on with my life.

These people need to develop a relationship with Jesus. I have found that Jesus never leaves us and never forsakes us. Jesus is there for us and is on “duty” for us 24/7.

If you find yourself losing friends take your own inventory. Do you invest as much time into that friend as they invest into you? If not you need to change. If you cannot quit telling your problems to someone then get a counselor. As counselors we break the law by sharing the secrets of those we have counseled with.

Once you try to ignore these people they then send their “Flying Monkeys” after you.” I was shocked one day when an ex friends mother attacked me online as I made a comment on someone’s FB page. It was mean, it was cruel and not the truth. She had been listening to my “ex” friend and believed everything that she had heard. I then blocked them both. She was telling someone that I was not a “real” friend. What was sad about that was that I had given the woman’s grandson money when he was in need. I guess she had forgotten about that.

Sometimes you get disappointed with a friend. If it’s a one-time thing, talk it out and don’t let it break your friendship. But if it continues to happen then let the person go. We become like those we spend the most time with. Unless you want to become a whiner too, it’s best to let the person go. Pray for them, but let them go. Life is too short to be burdened with someone else’s problems daily. You too have problems and if they continue to dump on you don’t be surprised if you find yourself getting depressed, and angry, for no apparent reason. Like sponges we absorb a lot of other people’s emotions.

Find positive, happy people who love God. Find people who will pray for you when you need it. Find people who call you occasionally and ask you, “How are you doing, I was thinking about you!”

If you are anxious and stressed today, look around you. It might not be you but someone whom you are spending a lot of time with that is draining you. These people are so low on energy that they literally drain those around them. It’s not always you, but instead those who you surround yourself with.

In God’s Unconditional Love,

Cathie