Do you feel isolated and alone? Are you sitting on the sidelines waiting for friendships to come your way?
Satan wants to separate us from the relationships that can positively impact our lives.
Maybe it is time for you to take the first step toward investing in the kind of friendships that you know you need because you are living in isolation.
Many of us had friendships like these at one time, but we have neglected them, and as a result, over the course of time, they have fallen apart. We must be willing to fight for the relationships that matter most in life.
As soon as David and Jonathan got together, they began building their friendship. Soon, their friendship was tested. In 1 Samuel 18:5, we are told that “whatever Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully. So Saul made him (David) a commander over the men of war, an appointment that was welcomed by the people and Saul’s officers alike.”
There is a little in-between-the-lines reading here. David and Jonathan are similar in age and similar in gifting. They had a lot in common, but David was an outsider and Jonathan an insider.
Jonathan was in line to become king. Even though David was not a part of the family, he was the one getting all of the attention. Ultimately, he was promoted over Jonathan. Jonathan demonstrates how a true friend will celebrate your victories.
It would have been easy for Jonathan to start comparing himself to David. It would have been easy to let envy creep in. To his credit, Jonathan never did that. God can use a friend like Jonathan to sharpen us. He can use friends to push us, to challenge us, to convict us, as long as we can avoid the temptation to fall into the comparison trap.
The fastest way to kill something special is to compare it to something else. It is an easy trap to fall into. Don’t allow yourself to go there. God has a plan for you. He has called you to be you. Don’t worry about comparing yourself to anyone else.
God had a plan for David. He was going to use David the way he had gifted him. He was going to use David to further his kingdom one way, and he had plans to use Jonathan to further his kingdom in another way.
All of us need to be reminded to be ourselves and guard against the temptation to compare ourselves to our friends.
Steve Greene is the lead pastor of The Point in Seymour. Read his blog at pastorgreene.wordpress.com or email him at [email protected]. Send comments to [email protected].