I am going to share a piece of my heart with you through this post. This is one area that has for many years been a struggle for me. I often find myself trusting people and then being deeply hurt by them within several years of forming the friendship...or what I thought was a friendship.
This past Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This man knew so much about creating peace in the world. He knew about love and strength, oh, and so much more. This quote gives me a chill every time I read it:
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
Imagine that. Light and Love can conquer all. Then, why don't we live that way? Why do these so called, "friends" leave us? Aren't friends supposed to be there for us and support us through the difficult times?
I am far from perfect. I make relational mistakes too. But, I can tell you this, if I have an issue with someone I consider a friend, I go to them. We talk about things and move forward. I do not ditch friends when I make new friends.
I understand that sometimes friendships are for a season, I am not speaking about those. I am referring to those solid friends, who stick with you through some storms of life...then, simply forget you. That. Hurts.
Am I going to hate those people who turned on me when life got tough? No.
Am I going to speak badly about those who forgot me? No.
Am I going to avoid "organizational" friendships in the future? No.
Am I going to harbor unforgiveness towards those who used me as a friend because it was convenient? No.
I will choose carefully.
Dr. King instructs us to love those who hate. To be the light in a place of darkness. And that is what I choose to do.
My goal is to figure out which friendships are true and nourish and grow them. My goal is to weed out and cut off hurtful, fake friendships. My goal is to continue to trust (although difficult) and make new, lifelong friendships that will stand the test of time in 2017.
Who is with me?
