The Holy Remnant Apostolic Church December 2017

Friendships are a dynamic and ever evolving aspect of life. A continuous
exchange, whether positive or negative which takes place between
individuals within every friendship. The way in which we deal with
friends often reflect our own morals and character. However, it is up to
each individual to set standards for themselves on how they manage their
friendships.
Realizing all of this, the most crucial and impressionable period of one's life is,
during our adolescent years and friendships play a key role in shaping our
perceptions. In recent discussion with our THRAC youth on the topic of
friendship, some key points were raised in regards to how they manage their
friendships and the influence that they have.
1. The foundation of a good friendship is trust and
communication.
Like every relationship, establishing good grounds of trust and
open communication leaves room for growth as individuals and
collectively.
2. When conflict arise, the best way to deal with it is to speak
with that individual directly.
It's always best to deal with your friend first regarding the issue
because it maintains a level of trust and communication - not
doing so only makes the situation more complicated.
3. Relationships have boundaries.
Boundaries are important because this is where each individual
establishes their morals and standards. Respect for each other's
boundaries will not cause either person to want to negatively
influence the one another.
It is important to note that when asked, all the THRAC youth expressed that
there is an understanding and respect amongst their friends for their faith and
their stand when it comes to serving God. Although there is open
communication and respect for their faith in God, there are points when the
environment or the choices of their friends pose as temptations to conform.
It's never easy to resist
temptation however, knowing
who they are as individuals and
knowing the right thing causes
them to not want to give in and
conform.
'Show me your company and
I will tell you who you are.'
Every relationship that we have
has an influence on us as an
individual. Often times our
friends are a mere reflections of
who we are in regards to our
mindset, morals and character.
As previously mentioned,
friendships are an exchange of
positive and negative influences.
1 Corinthians 15:33 (NKJV)
says " Do not be deceived: Evil
company corrupts good habits.”
The bible clearly outlines that
negative influences corrupts
those with good character.
Friends that are a negative
influence whether in their
choices, ideas, and morals are
not easy to recognize and leave
the opportunity for our youth to
be influenced negatively. The
youth are striving to make a
positive influence on their
friends, and know when it's time
to draw away to protect
themselves from negativity. Our
encouragement to our youth
is to choose those who they
call friends wisely.
Proverbs 13:20 (NKJV)
"He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be
destroyed."
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