| Have you got one of those 'needy' friends? You know the sort - they only call when they need something, or are having a crisis. They never ask how you're doing (or if they do, within three seconds they're back talking about themselves again), they have no clue what's going on in your life, they ask you for advice, then do the opposite - but still come to you when it all goes pear shaped. You're the first person they come to with any problem at all - and they expect you to be able to sort it, and always be on 'their side'.
Maybe it's time to look at that friendship a bit more deeply, and ask if you can really sustain it without putting yourself, or them, at risk. Are they looking to you, instead of God, to meet their needs? If they are, they'll end up disappointed, and you'll end up exhausted. No matter how hard you try, you're not God, so you won't always know the right answer.
Isaiah wrote, 'Therefore I set my face like flint, confident that I'll never regret this'. He was talking about not letting people take all your time and energy, and stand in the way of you doing what God's called you to do. Your first priority always needs to be God - then others. Have you got the balance right of serving God and serving your friends - or has something got to give? |
