Parenting and Friendships

     Lately I've been having this lingering conversation in my head.  One that I've been wrestling with Satan about.  One that emotionally hurts to the point that it can leave scars.  At moments I have come to grips with this conversation, other times it eats away at me.  

     What does it mean to be a Christian friend and to teach that to your children?  Right now my children are young, my oldest is learning what it means to be a friend right now.  But as a parent, how do you surround yourself with true, honest, God-fearing, and humbling friends?  And in the process, how do you accept when others don't want to be close to you?  

       Scripture says that we need to, "Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble" (Proverbs 13:20).   Later it say, "A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands" (Proverbs 14:1).  These two verses have really been sticking out at me.

     Here is what I believe God is telling me to do:

1. Be Friendly - If someone chooses to not be close to me, then I need to accept that.  BUT I still need to be friendly to that person.   I still have an opportunity to show grace, love, and mercy to everyone, even if I am not close to them. 
2. Walk wisely - That might not sound right or you are thinking, "huh?".  Here is what I mean, we need to be conscious of who we are walking with.  If I am seeking closeness with someone who does not want to be as close to me, then I need to rethink walking closely with this person.  (Now I will revert to concept #1 above.)  God wants me to walk with wise individuals and use my discernment to make that choice...however sometimes God knows we will wrestle with this and helps us.  
3. Reflect carefully -Who you choose as your friends and the choices they make reflect on your judgment of Christian character.  Be mindful of who you are associating with because their actions can influence what others think of your Christian walk.  If I am associating with someone who participates in activities my personal faith does not agree with, that says a lot to other people.
4. Construction soundly - Your friendships, whether you agree or not, affect your home life.  This in turns effects your parenting.  If you are easily influenced by the world then consider the how close you want your "worldly" and "godly" friends.  I want friends who will lift me up spiritually when I need it, challenge me in my thinking, hold me accountable, and provide sound Christian advice.  

     Scripture is beautiful in the fact that it can be interpreted differently.  The concepts I listed above are HARD.  I'm not going to sugar coat it.  But in a world that is drawing us to be more like it then just in it...we have to heed to what God says.  We must be diligent in who we surround ourselves with.  The world is fighting hard for our homes and friendships, we need to stand underneath the cross in ALL aspects of our lives.

     Hope this brings some comfort to someone.  God is with us.  God guides us.  We need to be wise in how we walk in the world.  Let us pray for our friends, love on them, support them, and guide them.