It’s good to have friends.

Especially on those days when the rest of the world seems to be giving you a hard time.

It’s good to know you have those few rare people in the world you can lean on, and tell anything too.

Except when you can’t.

Friends are people too, after all, and that means you never know…

You might say that rare sentence that triggers your friend’s ire.

Or you might lean a little too hard, expecting support past the breaking point.

Or they might catch you cheating at Word’s With Friends.

Or you might say something critical of your friend, not expecting to get a rise out of them.

But you do.  And suddenly you’re having words with your friend.

Now some friendships are built on these kind of discussions, folks used to scrapping it up with each other.

Others, though, find themselves in unfamiliar waters, risking real damage to the friendship.

If you find yourself in a fight with your friend, here’s what you can do:

1.  Have faith that all will be well!  Remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?  These three friends found themselves facing truly dire circumstances, but their faith kept them okay.
2. Misery loves company.  Psalms like 41, 55, and 88 speak about the pain of being rejected by a friend, but Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”
3. Jesus was a friend to tax collectors and sinners.  Surely you and your friend can put up with each other.
4. You may not like each other right now, but don’t forget that you  love each other.  1 John 4:11 says “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
5. And if none of that works, remember Matthew 6:15:  “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Yikes!

Friends are special and rare and not to be taken for granted.

So when the time comes that you find yourself having words with your friends, swallow your pride, remember what’s most important, and hold on tight.

(Wanna be friends?  My Words With Friends name is Toddmit)

Have a good week,

Mitch