Family ShiftSample

Day 5

Find Life-Giving Friendships 

Shift In Reinforcement

Thought For The Day

When the right people come into your life, you’ll understand why the wrong ones had to leave. -Rodney Gage

Verse For The Day

Proverbs 27:17 (NLT) As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

Whether we realize it or not, the people we choose to associate with will either cause us to drift further away from God and His purposes, or they will inspire us to become more like Him. Spiritually speaking, we need to continuously grow in our friendship with God, our spouse and with others.  As adults, we need life-giving friendships that will sharpen us and reinforce our mission, vision and values in our marriage and family. The same is true for your kids.  The question is, how do we do this with our kids?  How do we help them choose the right kind of friendships?  No matter what age or stage we are in, we need 3 kinds of friends.  We call them the TLC of friendships.  

T-Tough. 

We’re not referring to physically tough, but rather a friend who is spiritually, morally and emotionally tough.  A friend who is secure in who they are in Christ.  A friend who is not afraid to take a stand for what is spiritually, morally and ethically right.  A friend who is not easily swayed by what everyone else is doing.  A friend who will speak the truth in love to us when they see us drifting.  Friends who are spiritually and morally tough will make us better and bolder in our own faith.  And they will help us stay on track in the things that matter most in our lives.  

L- Loyal.

Loyalty says, “No matter what, you can count on me.”  Do you have friends who are loyal? How about your kids?  Loyalty is almost a forgotten virtue in our culture. A loyal friend will be a confidant to you. A friend you can trust and won’t betray you.  Loyal friends also celebrate you.  It’s so important to surround yourself and encourage your kids to surround themselves with friends who celebrate them, not tolerate them.  Loyal friends celebrate our successes and grieve our losses.  So often, we see the opposite, friends who celebrate someone’s losses and grieve over someone’s successes.  Pray and ask God to bring friends who will be loyal to you and your kids. 

C- Committed.  

Loyalty is the inclination of the heart; commitment leads to actions that reflect loyalty.  True friends show their commitments in acceptance and alignment.  True friends also love and accept us no matter what and are aligned with our mission, vision and values.  They are unconditionally committed to help us grow to become and fulfill all that God has for our lives.  

Prayer For The Day

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you that you call us your friend.  Thank you that even when I have proven to be unfaithful, you have remained faithful to me.  Help me to find friends who will make me and my spouse better and bolder.  Help my kids to find friends who will be tough, loyal and committed to them so they can avoid the distractions and pitfalls the enemy wants to use to defeat them.  Today, I will commit myself to being the friend who is tough, loyal and committed to those in my life. In Jesus’s name, amen. 

Make The Shift

The late Jim Rohn once said that we are the average of our 5 closest friends.  Take some time reflecting on your 5 closest friends.  If you’re married, who are the couples you’re spending the most time with?  Take a “friendentory” and ask your kids to do the same thing.  Ask the question, are my 5 closest friends causing me to drift or are they reinforcing my renewed mission, vision and values?