When a single person spends their time defending the person they are dating to the godly people who speak into their lives - there is a problem. ~ Pastor Perry Noble.

That is huge. Its what they are there for. Its speaking truth to you, just often times people don't want to hear it. Often times, they seek out people who will tell them what they want to hear and what they want to do anyways. Speaking truth into someones life is sometimes really hard. It can be a physical truth, an emotional truth or even a spiritual truth. Often times this comes with a great deal of pain. Sometimes for the friendship and sometimes down the road in the situation itself.
Its tough being pointed out to something in your life that maybe you know about but dont want to admit. Maybe you are having issues with your spouse and you continue to say its them and not you. Along comes a friend to point out some things you are doing or saying that is keeping things ugly. Maybe its a dating relationship and the close people in your life can all see that this person is wrong for you. You like them, you say you can change them, they are not going in the same direction you are going in but that can change. When dealing with people, two wrongs dont make a right.
Pain is a lesson in life that keeps us from doing it again. Pain says, STOP, - turn around and go in the other direction. Physical pain is picking up a boiling pot of water and it hurting your hands. Burns and blisters remind you of that for the next few days. Painful. Emotional pain might be the abuse of someone in your life tearing you down all the time. Constantly being reminded that you are not good enough, you will never be able to do that or you are the stupidest person on the planet. That is painful and any amount of time in middle school these days - you will see the emotional abuse taking place. Bullying signs everywhere and in constant reminder that emotional pain is real. Then there is the spiritual pain. This is real pain as well and often times it shows up years down the road afterwards. Maybe a decision to have sex at a young age leaves you pregnant and your hopes and dreams put on hold. Maybe God is calling you to do something but you have other plans and you continue to run. Maybe God is calling you to make a relationship right and in your pain, there is no way you could ever forgive that person. Years pass and your relationship with God is no closer. Your walk has faded because of the lack of FEELING God present in your life.

If you are finding yourself today living a self destructive life, it may be an indication that your relationship with God is distant - if it even exists at all. Some of you have lost your smile since dating this new person. You have time invested in it but its always something. You are not happy anymore and life seems to have such heaviness about it. Its time to turn and change direction. Pain can do more than hurt loved ones, it can teach you the boundaries between right and wrong and that includes in spiritual decisions as well. If you are living with your boyfriend or girlfriend or having sex with them and not married - there is a wall built between you and God and all the blessings He want to give you. Not only are you hurting your own heart, you are hurting Gods as well.
Our job is to let pain do its work in us. Allow it to bring us to Him for comfort.
After a few weeks of no sleep, grumpy, not smiling and just feeling the weight of a relationship in my life with someone very important to me - I had to do something. As we sat last night and spoke heart to heart ... It became apparent to me that this relationship is strong and even during tough spots like these it makes the relationship stronger. Pain brought us closer together. Next time, if we find ourselves getting to a tough place, (in pinkie shake agreement because that is a binding contract) we call a meeting over a sweet tea and get on the same page with everything out in the open.
Luke 5:17-19 - One day Jesus was teaching, and the Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralysed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

Jesus was healing many and the news spread. Here a group of friends tired of seeing their friend sick - took action. Not being able to get into the house because of all the people, they did what I would have never thought to do. Dig a hole in the roof and lower their friend right at the feet of Jesus. Stopping him in the middle of his teaching, religious people getting upset because they were disturbed and with ceiling tiles and debris probably hitting Jesus - a man is lowered to his feet. I imagine Jesus smiling and saying - faith... this is faith in action. Jesus healed this man and told him to get up and walk. He got up and praised God on the way out right in front of the crowd and everyone in it.
Loved ones, learn from your pain. Get up and get moving. Make the phone call. Have the sweet tea conversation. Call that friend and share your heart with them and talk about the pain in their life. Hold them accountable and speak truth into their life. We can't do this alone. Just as the man that was sick, he couldnt do it alone. He had 4 friends pick him up and make something happen for him.
Pain is good sometimes. Its just what we do with it that counts.
Thankful for my sweet tea meeting last night and sharing smiles again with a special young lady.

Lonnie~