CHANGE YOUR TOOL

"Throughout life people will make you mad, disrespect you and treat you bad. Let God deal with the things they do, cause hate in your heart will consume you too." - Will Smith

There was once a missionary with her husband and family after an unusually tiring stint of service. For the first time she was going to have a place of her own, a new, large town house-styled apartment-she'd been looking forward to this. A few months after some new neighbours moved in. The best word to describe them? Uncivilized. There was loud music, with a constant flow of obscenities always. They urinated in the front yard in broad daylight - totally disrupted her peace. She asked the Lord to help her be more loving but she got back disgust and rejection. The crisis came when she returned home to discover that her neighbours’ children had sprayed orange paint all over her beautiful patio - the walls, floors - everything! She was distraught and furious. She tried to pray but found herself crying out, “I cannot love them. I hate them!” Knowing she had to deal with the sin in her heart, she began to converse with the Lord in

WHAT ARE YOU?

“The more we love, the better we are, and the greater our friendships are, the dearer we are to God.” – Jeremy Taylor

A real friend will possess these qualities and even more which can be important for you. If you also give these qualities to your friend there is no chance that your friendship will ever break. These qualities are important for a lifetime friendship and that is what we all expect about real friendship.

Out of the furnaces of war come many true stories of sacrificial friendship. Two friends in World War 1 were inseparable. They had enlisted together, trained together, and fought side-by-side in the trenches. During an attack, one of the men was critically wounded in a field filled with barbed wire obstacles, he was unable to crawl back to his foxhole. The entire area was under enemy crossfire, and it was suicidal to try to reach him. Yet his friend decided to try. Before he could get out of his own trench, his sergeant yanked him back inside and ordered him not to go. “It’s too late. You can’t do him any good, and you’ll only get yourself killed.” A few minutes later, the officer turned his back, and instantly the man was gone after his friend. A few minutes later, he staggered back, mortally wounded, with his friend, now dead, in his arms. The sergeant was both angry and deeply moved. “What a waste,” he blurted out. “He’s dead and you’re dying. It just wasn’t worth it.” With almost his last breath, the dying man replied, “Oh yes, it was, Sarge. When I got to him, the only thing he said was, ‘I knew you’d come, Jim!

WHAT ARE YOU?

“The more we love, the better we are, and the greater our friendships are, the dearer we are to God.” – Jeremy Taylor

Friendships are valuable in our lives. Everyone wants "a real friend" for many reasons. Nobody wants to feel lonely and a friend can help you through this process. You need a friend if you are in trouble, to make fun with, to share experiences, to talk with and to be there for each other. However, it might not really be easy to find a good quality friend; there are many qualities a real friend should possess.

George Fox was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends. Fox complained to judges about extremely harsh decisions he considered morally wrong, as in his letter on the case of a woman due to be executed for theft. He campaigned against the requirement to pay tithes, which was a tax to fund absentee landlords. He was arrested numerous times for speaking out. In 1660, after his arrest in Lancaster, a Friend went to Oliver Cromwell, the leader of England, and offered himself, body for body for Fox. If Cromwell would accept the substitution, the friend would be imprisoned and Fox would be set free. Cromwell was so struck with the offer that he said to his council, "Which of you would do as much for me if I were in the same condition?" Although he could not accept Fox's friend's offer, because it was contrary to law, yet the power, he said, and truth of this generous offer "came mightily over him."Cromwell met with Fox several times in next few years and each time was impressed with Fox's faith and the loyalty of his friends.

These are some qualities every friend should have:

BITTERNESS LIKE POISON

“Bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” – Ron McManus

One reason that bitterness is so extremely dangerous is because it can take root, grow, spread and spiritually contaminate and defile your heart and spirit before you even realize.

In 1932, comic book artists Joe Schuster and Jerry Siegel created the Superman character. For six long years during the Great Depression the two tried to market their comic book hero, but no one was interested. Then in 1938, editor Vin Sullivan chose it as the cover feature for National's Action Comics. The following year, Siegel & Schuster initiated the syndicated Superman comic strip. As part of the deal which saw Superman published in National Action Comics, Siegel and Schuster sold the rights to the company in return for $130 and a contract to supply the publisher with material for ten years.

YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT!

"I am good at walking away. Rejection teaches you how to reject." - Jeanette Winterson

Steven was a young man that felt the call of God on his life. He came from a really close family. He finished his college and then went off to seminary. After finishing seminary he came back before going to his first church. He visited with all of his relatives for about a week. He stopped by the church and talked to his hometown Pastor. The Pastor asked him if he would like to preach this Sunday. He felt honoured and agreed. Sunday morning came and after days, of preparation he stepped up behind the pulpit looked out at the congregation of friends and relatives and started to expound the knowledge that he had learned. Well, his young niece, Kathleen, about six years old - stepped out into the aisle and put her hands on her hips - her left foot out in front of the other - her head cocked to one side - then she said in a very loud voice for her age. “Uncle Michael, You don’t know what you are talking about!”

On this burning subject of rejection; we have left out a category of people even though we have considered being rejected by groups, categories and classes of people we can relate with easily. We haven't talked about toddlers. Everyone's carrying a cute little baby, you reach out to the baby too, but it refuses your gesture. That's rejection, it's hard to handle from anybody - but from a six year old it is really tasking.

What happens when we get rejected by people far younger than than we are; maybe a little 6 year old niece or nephew? Do we fall and die or laugh over it? Yes, that's what we should learn to do when our peers or society reject us - laugh over it!