Mocking Children Who Look Like Aged Adults

James 4: 4-5

I have been reminded of several important lessons – one being who and who not to build relationships with.

Friendship comes in all kinds of degrees.

Defining what a friend is depends on an individual's understanding, expectation and experience of what they considered 'friends'.

This goes for almost each every word one cares to define and make sense of.

Being friendly is the way to be, I say, regardless of 'who' others are.

Realizing that friendliness is not always reciprocated is a wise reality to remember.

People being unfriendly shouldn't be reason or cause to cease being friendly to everyone, even those unfriendly souls.

It seems at times in trying to love people, I go beyond my boundaries (or those set by others) and in trying to love, to serve and to be a friend, I do too much and go overboard.

I have been corrected in a futile attempt to love people who loved me not.

I have respected people who respected me not.

I have tried and gone the distance with people who did not hold my best interests at heart, and I was again reminded that I had too high expectations on people.

I did all I could in befriending people whose idea of friendship was perhaps less intrusive than my own...a friendship from a distant heart, never to go beyond coffee house banter.

I was told that I try to make people think like me.

Fair enough; that accusation speaks volumes in a myriad of ways positively, negatively and ubiquitously.

One of my mistakes was expectation.

Not everyone desires to love others, or see the best in people despite their humanity.

Not everyone forgives or even tries to forgive.

Not everyone has a light-filled process of healing, or a love-first manner to holding a friendship.

Not everyone has a purpose...aside from their own self-preservation.

For some people, they never consider themselves being wrong, only those around them.

Some of these are sheep He has entrusted me to gather, while others are the goats, wolves and those not of the fold...yet we are to love even the most vile (enemies), thus why the lessons never fail to come.

I have been treating the people around me, regardless of their religion (how they view themselves and the world), as if they were my church.

I have been treating the people I come across as if they were just like me; people who love God, praise His Holy Name, and love others regardless of people's humanity.

And I've been corrected on my expectations, not my approach, in quite a striking way.

I relish the pain now that I have relearned the lesson!

The pain challenged me to draw my love back, to shrink back in faith and from my purpose (which is to love God and all mankind).

But I am not of those who shrink back and allows my heart to grow cold, that is what the godless do.

In recalling the details and my own shortcomings, I have realized how my character has also absorbed some of the less than noble habits of my peer group.

Compromise.

I have found myself repeating the gossip, the talking of / about others behind their backs.

I am sure the sourness in some of my friendships / relationships / acquaintances has come about because of gossip about me behind my back.

These are lessons I learned so long ago, as a child...and here I am sadly having fallen back into committing such basic mistakes.

I see adults much older than me still acting like children on a playground, making fun of, mocking, being sarcastic and seeing life in a cynical way.

So when such low manners are directed at me, why should I be surprised when I realize these people do not hear and neither see?

I momentarily forgot who I am, who calls me, and how His process upon the world comes about.

In my forgetfulness, I have adopted some bad traits in overreaching my attempt of friendship with the world.

I have learned so much.

One lesson was that people 'see' God not so much because of my words to them, but my actions and way of life.

I've been trying too hard using words.

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame. 

- 1 Corinthians 15: 33-34