"Make Me Beautiful..."
A lesson taught for the Texas Baptist College Ladies' Split Chapel - 2008
I love the friends God has given me. When I stop to think about each one and how they have helped me along my path I am overwhelmed. When I started writing my friends' names on my prayer list I couldn't stop writing and thinking of how God uses my them in my life almost every day. One of my goals is to be as good a friend to them as they have been to me. It's not about gifts, money, or lunch dates, which are fine, it is a "state of being." It is being a help, an encouragement, an example, someone with whom to share a laugh or tears, someone just to listen...
When I was younger I was painfully shy - so painfully shy that I would not answer a door, a phone, or a question from a person who was not in my family. God did a work on me, but it was not just through His word or teaching, it was through good teachers, church members, and friends he put into my life. The friends you choose have the power to help make you into "God's image" (beautiful) or into man's image.
Friend, Terri Dixon, age ten (1973) - super athlete, math wiz, loved God and stood for right, no fear
1. Good relationships can improve many areas of our lives – noticeable improvement in behavior, a positive attitude, healthy physical traits, spiritual growth, mental stimulation, emotional stability. These are the effects that Terri Dixon had on me. I was a tall, gangly, shy, fearful, self-abhorring kid. She had no fear, played every sport with every fiber of her being, never shied away from standing for God, plus she believed in me. For some strange reason she saw some traits that I had that she didn't and she built me up to focus on those strengths. For six years she was my friend and cheerleader in life. God sent me that friend and I am still grateful.
F Friend, Karen Mosley, age 14 (1977) - singer, artist, great taste in clothing, kind heart and love for people - Proverbs 18:24 - A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
2. A good relationship produces unconditional love and friendliness to other Christians and to the lost. God sent Karen as a friend during a time when most teens in our youth department weren't interested in spiritual things. Karen's family moved to Longview to go to Longview Baptist Temple and appreciated everything and every opportunity the church had to offer. The Mosley's opened a natural food store, had a large garden, and taught me about a healthy and godly lifestyle. Her parents were even more strict than mine and I needed this in my life. I spent many hours at their home and know that I am a better person for that friend that God sent to me. Karen was the most unselfish person I know and she encouraged me and applauded my accomplishments, never being jealous. I found a card she made for the me other day and was amazed that a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girls took the time to make it. It is a large card with an embroidered border on the front. Each letter is cut out by hand and the artwork is beautiful. I've kept that card for over thirty years and it always reminds me that God sent me a wonderful friend like Karen.
Friend, Jo Hovind, age 18, (1981) - pianist, role model, music coordinator, organist - Proverbs 17:17 - A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity
3. A good relationship produces loyalty to right, no matter if it causes pain. It never turns others from their godly authorities. When Dr. Bob Gray came to be our pastor in 1980, Jo and Kent Hovind and their family followed from Illinois. As history will verify, we had a giant church split. Many of my mentors, all of the musical ones, left the church. God sent Jo Hovind to me to teach me and encourage me to follow my new pastor. She taught me how to play the piano for church, how to play a piano duet - our first one was horrible!, and how to play piano and organ duets. She introduced me to key changes, modulations, introductions, glissandos, and every tool that I would need to play the piano in church. She also taught me to accept the talents and training I had as a musician. She was an encourager, a loving example and friend, thoughtful, all while having a family of her own. She was my friend in a time of adversity and she was a gift from God.
Proverbs 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
Bad relationships
1. Produce a downward trend – physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally
2. Produces conditional love and possessive, selfish, traits. Cliques, small circle of friends, etc…
3. Produces loyalty to personality, not to truth.
4. You lose your influence for right when you isolate yourself or try to isolate your friends.
5. You lose your testimony and people’s respect level drops for you.
How do you remedy a bad relationship?
1. Make Jesus your best friend – Proverbs 18:24 - Proverbs 18:24 A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
2. Include those who are overlooked, or those you don’t know well.
3. Pray for people you know and work with every day.
4. Allow your friends and family to have other friends. Never forbid them to speak to anyone – whether male or female, unless you are married.
When you lose a friend's closeness because of moving away, going separate ways, or just plain growing up, know that God will send you a new friend or that you should look to be a friend to someone else. Allow your friends to grow and have their space, then you'll be able to experience new people, viewpoints, and God may just teach you something through that person!
When you lose a friend's closeness because of moving away, going separate ways, or just plain growing up, know that God will send you a new friend or that you should look to be a friend to someone else. Allow your friends to grow and have their space, then you'll be able to experience new people, viewpoints, and God may just teach you something through that person!
No comments:
Post a Comment