Did I get your attention??? No, I'm not going to become a mechanic of any sort but I heard a quote from the singer Dave Barnes ("God Gave Me You") regarding friendships and it has been on my mind for the past week and I thought I would share it here:
"God gives us people in our lives to be guardrails to keep us from going off track and others to be gas pedals to motivate us and encourage us!"
Wow...let that sink in for a minute and think about which people in your life are the guardrails and which are the gas pedals...
I've shared my heart on what my friendships have meant through this valley I have been in and how I've developed LEVEL 10 friendships that would have never occurred without my struggles and us all deciding to "be real" with one another and lay it all out there...the good, the bad and most definitely the ugly. I can picture specific people (you know who you are!) who at just the right moment, when I was about to go off track and do something I would have later regretted, steered me back on the right path with love and gentleness and thankfully, I was open to receive it and take counsel. I call these people my little angels here on Earth but most definitley they have been guardrails for me and God has used them to speak truth and life to me! There are also others who may not have been in my exact situation before, but they were there for me to encourage me, to speak LIFE into me and just say, THIS IS NOT OVER! God is in this...hang on a little longer and HE WILL prosper you and show you a wonderful future despite the ugliness of your situation and circumstances. They spoke hope, love, and promises to me and were stepping on that gas pedal to motivate me, encourage me and be my cheerleader when honestly, I did NOT feel like cheering. They didn't just believe in me, more importantly, they believed in GOD and His word and His promises and would not let me even think about defeat. Praise God for friends like that!!! I can assure you, frienships are of the Lord!
John 15:12-14
12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command.
So, as I've thought about this quote and how true-to-life it is in my own life, I think it needs to be taken a step further. I've shared my heart on what my friendships have meant through this valley before so that's no news to anybody. But, I will share the flip side of that equation. There are always going to be some people (I'm not going to call them friends) in your life that will do whatever it takes to step on the brakes as hard as they can and derail you. They whisper little doubts to you; they say you are crazy; they make fun of you even when you are down and out; they are negative, the glass is half empty type people; they might even take a little pride in the fact that you've been "laid low" and they judge you without even knowing you or your heart. These people can be summed up in one word...poison. They walk with the world so they are in direct opposition to anything you try to do in the spirit. I've learned some sad lessons regarding these people and I've come to the conclusion that sometimes, they just have to be pruned out of your life and they most certainly are not friends. Anyone that knows me knows that I have more compassion for hurting people that are down on their luck than most people...maybe more than I should. I ATTRACT those type people, and I always have...because I have a soft heart for them. BUT, when someone will not accept counsel as a friend, and even goes so far to try to lead me down a path of destruction...I have to put my foot down. I'm not judging them but I'm turning them over to God...and that is Biblical!
Titus 3:10-11
10Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. 11You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned
I'm the type that never wants to give up in any situation, but God really has worked on me, even recently, to be very cautious of these people that like to "ride the brakes" in my life! I encourage everyone to evaluate your friendships closely...and even evaluate what type of friend YOU are or want to be in your relationships. For me, I would much rather be a guardrail or a gas pedal for my friends, and I hope and pray I am!
Have a blessed weekend!
JOY
You are so right Joy! It is amazing what great friends can add to your life! Hope you are doing well and congrats on your "new" house!
ReplyDeleteA wonderful post-hits close to home these days.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that God has taught me through the years when I have had trials and difficulties is that God has purpose with every little thing that happens in our lives.
ReplyDeleteI am frustrated with those who have the mind set that "If you had more faith, God would heal you,"
or
"You're not praying the right way".
I know they have good intentions but for myself it seems very prideful. As if I could work my way into God's grace and mercy. I will always remember something that Rick Warren says in his "40 days of Purpose" (I'm paraphrasing):
God doesn't cause painful things to happen to us, He allows it. Everything is sifted through His hands and it's purpose is to to mold us more into the image of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
I would rather my suffering have a purpose than to think that God says,
"Uh-Oh, she didn't pray right so she's gonna have to pay the price for that".
Recently my Mother was diagnosed with cancer and she is undergoing Chemo. I live 675 miles away and the distance has been difficult for me. My mother has had much trauma in her life beginning when she was a child, growing up in Germany during WW2. She is a dichotomy, strong yet emotionally fragile. A couple of weeks ago during my prayer time I told God that if each of us that love her could take just one day and carry her for those 24 hours, she could bear this load so much easier. He told me that this is her chance to shine for Him. I can't deny her the opportunity to glorify God no matter how much I want to carry her load. My job is to be an encourager and to be her gas pedal.
We need those people in our lives and what a privilege to be that for others that God puts in our lives. Sometimes in our trials we don't see ourselves there and yet, when we are at our most vulnerable, transparent and dependent on God, we are indeed encouragers/ gas pedals for others.
Hugs today!
Connie