How to FriendSample

Everyone wants to be loved and cared for by their friends, but there can be times when a friend may talk bad about you or say something untrue. It can be hard to love the person that hurt you in these moments, and it can make you wonder if they’re even your friend. Instead of giving that person a taste of their own medicine, try loving them even more. That may not seem normal, but God wants us to “Do everything in love.” By loving your friend even when they upset you, you are the type of friend you want to have. Everyone wants to have caring, kind, and loving friends, so we should practice those qualities and treat our friends the way we want them to treat us. I struggled with this my senior year. One of my best friends had gone behind my back and said some harsh things about me that weren’t true. It caused some of my other friends to stop talking to me, and it hurt my feelings, I mean, really hurt my feelings. I wanted to get back at them, but I knew that would do me no good. Instead, I continued to treat them with love and kindness even though they had upset me beyond words. I had to pray for strength and comfort, but I trusted that God wanted to use me for God’s own glory. This week, choose to be the friend that shows love to those around you, even when it’s hard to do.

Written by Chloe, age 19, from Taylorsville, GA, USA