Uh oh there goes that word again..

"I can't believe my very eyes, right to my face you lied. I thought you were a friend."

Some of what I am about to say has probably been said before but oh well. One of the things I am most proud of, is how good of a friend I am. No, seriously. I'm not perfect but I pride myself in being the type of friend God can be proud of and one I would want for myself. One of my greatest quality as a friend is the way I support those I call friends. I mean when something good happens to them, I celebrate like it happened to me. I pray for my friends. I love my friends. I want the best for my friends. I want them to find love and be loved. I want them to get married and have beautiful children. I want them to prosper and live out their dreams. That's the kind of friend I am.

So you can only imagine how I felt watching Oprah today. There were two ladies on there who were not only friends but cousins. Over the years they have been off and on as friends because of their weight. When one is skinny, the other is mad. If the other gained weight again, they are happy. I scratched my head because I just didn't get it. Now don't get me wrong, I am human. There has been a time or two where the green eyed monster hit me. But I never let it consume me, and it was never to the point where I still couldn't celebrate my friend or loved one. If I was like these women, my two best friends Mel and Tee wouldn't have seen or heard from me in a long time. It is no secret that I've gained weight. It is something I struggle with and I work on. But I never let my dissatisfaction with my size affect the love I have for others who are smaller than me.

You see I know what those women were doing was projecting. They envied each other but instead of doing something about it, it was easier to avoid that person or try to make them feel bad for accomplishing something. But see if they would simply flip it and draw closer to that person, they will have someone to support them and help them too get to where they want to be. Too many people have been led to believe that lightening only strikes once. But the bible says in Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: You see God doesn't just bless someone and not others. We need to understand we all have different paths and journeys to our destination. A lot of people who see folks being blessed don't see the work that person does. They are not there when they have sacrificed, prayed, and fasted. They only see the results.

Many people want results without work but understand the only place success comes before work is in the dictionary. Ecl 9:11 "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all." You see even the word says your time will come. There is no need to be jealous of someone else. Put God first, work hard, stay focused and your time will come.

The bottom line is, a good friend is a gift. If you have one, treasure them, love them, encourage them. Life is full of ups and downs. There will be times when you are down and they will lift you up. There will be times when they are down and you will help them. They may be stronger in one thing, and you may be stronger in another. Embrace your strength, respect theirs and help each other. Why would you want someone to be down like you? Luke 6:39 And he spake a parable unto them," Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?" If you are both down, you can't go anywhere. Appreciate them when they are strong. Allow them to impart in you and you in them. Together you can be even better, wiser, and stronger. Love them through it all, the good and the bad. If you have someone in your life that will only be your friend when you are down, they are not your friend!!! Q