3. Accept friendship, pain as a learning process. We become mature through pain, failure, and disappointment. You wouldn’t have your bones and muscles strengthened without some rising and falling. David became an unusual mentor through the pain of betrayal and hatred of King Saul. He painstakingly mentored the debtors, disoriented, frustrated, and forsaken people who eventually became skilled warriors. (1 Samuel 22:2, 2 Samuel 8:23-39) Their life lessons we couldn’t have learned otherwise, if not through pain.
Come to Me
By Jim and Esther Bandy Searching for something the world could not give me, I stumbled on through the darkness each day. Then I heard the story of one who died for me, And when I listened, I heard the Lord say:
4. Friendship pain leads to self-discovery. One benefit of relationship pain is discovering your limits and weakness. Sometimes we do not realize how vulnerable we are until we face disappointment from our closest ally. You may not discover your full potential until those you rely on have failed you. Now you have no option but to face the challenge headlong. I relied on a few friends when I began a monthly church program for praise singers and equipment. They feature fully the first two months. In the third month, they never turned up. My daughter, because of that disappointment, stood in the gap as a chorus singer. Today, that friendship pain made her hone her singing skills. 5. Acknowledge the imperfection of all human beings. You are not likely to gain anything from the pain of a relationship if you do not accept all mortals are imperfect. That imperfection includes you. Have you disappointed anyone before? Sure, I have. In addition, I know you have failed a friend before. Therefore, if they felt bad when you didn’t live up to their expectation, then you can understand their feelings. Let me draw the curtain by saying, pain and disappointment are part of life. Therefore, mastering the art of a positive outlook on life experiences is germane to benefit from the pain of friendship.
“Come to me, I came to forgive you. Come to me, my mercies are great. Come to me, you make the decision. Come to me, before it’s too late.” I saw the blood as it poured from His body. Only His blood could wash my sins away. Lost and unworthy, I asked Him for mercy. I knelt before Him and heard the Lord say: “Come to me, I came to forgive you. Come to me, my mercies are great. Come to me, you make the decision. Come to me, before it’s too late.” Now as I follow the path He lights for me, I know the words that He told me are true. He is the Light, He’s my Lord and my Savior. I hear Him calling, He’s calling for you.
“Come to me, I came to forgive you. Come to me, my mercies are great. Come to me, you make the decision. Come to me, before it’s too late.”
M AG A Z I N E N A M E &O R U R L
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