I am by nature a very optimistic person. I always look for something positive in every situation. But in the last year I have seen trouble come into the lives of several dear friends, and in each case the trouble was avoidable. Even though the trouble came in many forms, it started the same way- a simple sampling of something that the person knew was wrong. When there were no repercussions immediately after the sampling, the involvement grew in stages until it became a full-blown problem resulting in pain, remorse, humiliation and personal destruction. Each of these friends were from a strong Christian background and had a clear understanding of sin and its consequences. If any of them had been confronted early in the process I am confident that they would have repented and gotten back on the straight path.
Our culture encourages two things that pave the way for moral failure- Rugged individualism and masking our problems. We value our personal space and want to go our way without answering to anyone else. As a result, no one feels free to question the questionable behavior of our friends or family. We want to put up a facade that responds to every question about our well-being by saying, "I'm doing fine" because we believe that is the answer that is expected. As a result, we hide struggles or pain because we really wonder if anyone really gives a rip how we are doing.
We owe it to ourselves not to wait until a failure occurs to come to the aid of a friend. We owe it to ourselves not to wait until a failure occurs to come clean with our struggles We have to overcome our resistance to being accountable to someone else and we have to overcome our reluctance to enter the personal space of a friend and ask tough questions.
Our futures depend on it.
1 comment:
Good post Randy. I think we rely a little to much on "I can do everything alone" without realizing everyone struggles. Men especially just need to let their guard down a little with TRUE friends and be able share without condemnation.
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