To View the Video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wgZA5txW-8s
SHOW NOTES
If you were in a crisis, who would you turn to? If something incredible happened in your life, who would you tell first? Welcome to a new week of the Hope Rescue Podcast. This week we are discussing the concept of friendship.
Who you turn to when impactful things happen in your life is not a coincidence or happenstance; it’s someone you intentionally seek out because of who they are and how they influence your life.
Friendship without influence is just an acquaintance. You wouldn’t go to an acquaintance to share breaking news in your life; you would turn to a friend. Close friends directly influence your life, and who you choose to be in your inner circle can greatly impact your life.
Some may believe or feel internally that rugged individualism is a sign of success. The idea that any vertical movement in our lives can be directly credited to ourselves may appeal to some, but it’s not ideal and it can be incredibly lonely to have no one to depend on but yourself. We were created by God to be together, to depend on one another, and to do life together. No one is fully equipped to handle what life brings on our own.
We are only vulnerable around people we feel safe with. Safety is crucial for connection and intimacy and vulnerability. Only your close friends can betray you and hurt you because you have intimacy with one another. So many people are afraid of developing deep friendships with others because they know if they open their heart to someone they could get really hurt, but that is the risk we take for deep, meaningful, lasting friendship.
When we care about our friends, we are invested in their lives and we are willing to be drained for their sake. We are willing to cry with them and celebrate with them.
Proverbs 12:26 says, "One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray." To guide is to explore and to seek out, and it implies that the influence on others is based on thoughtful planning, like a coach directing his team. Unfortunately, in life and in sports, there is a coach on the opposing team who is seeking to manipulate and strategically plan your breakdown. These people try to “lead us astray” through deception and manipulation. Be careful who you allow into your inner circle.
