Say All the Unspoken Things by John A. Sowers

Author:John A. Sowers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2021-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

PART 6

FRIENDS AND RELATIONSHIPS

CHAPTER 21

FRIENDS

September 1, 2020

Dear Rosie, Dass, and Evangeline,

You girls have something special. You have one another.

I know sometimes it doesn’t feel that way. Sometimes siblings get annoyed or fight or complain or compete. As you grow, friends will come and go and move away. But the three of you will always have one another. And I hope you understand how special this is. Stay kind and loyal, and cheer for each other.

You girls are sisters, and I hope you always stay close friends.

Many siblings are rivals. They compete with one another; they bicker and stew and fight. They argue and complain and pick at one another. Siblings who are jealous rivals miss out. They miss out on the gift of friendship and the potential to make each other better. They don’t realize friends can help achieve what they want in life. And if you girls are friends instead of rivals, there are no limits in what you can achieve.

A rival is against you. But a friend is for you and with you.

I hope you girls are friends and not rivals. Having a friend means you don’t go through life alone. A friend is someone to give you high fives when you score a soccer goal, someone who picks you up when you fall. A friend cheers for you when you need it and cries with you when you need it. They show up for you and know you; they know all your good, your faults and failures, and still accept you. They know when to be quiet and when to speak the truth. A friend is someone who believes in you even if you no longer believe in yourself.

A friend is someone we trust and allow into our lives. A friend is someone we let into the deep and tender places, and a friend walks gently there. We were all created for friends and community. None of us can grow into our best selves without friends. None of us reaches our destiny alone.

Friends help us become who we were born to be.

I’m convinced none of us see ourselves as we are. Most people go through life having no idea how others perceive them. Most people judge themselves by their own intentions and ideas that others never see. If we have good intentions toward others, we think we are good people. But this is not always the case.

I know a man who is always nice to me. If you met him, you’d think he’s nice too. We were hanging out a few months ago, and I had some great news to tell him. But every time our conversation slowed down, he kept talking. Every single time I tried to speak, he launched into another story. So for two hours I sat there, listening to him.

It’s good to listen. Sometimes friends need us to listen. Sometimes we need them to listen too. But he never stopped talking, never took a breath, never passed the ball of the conversation. I ended up leaving without sharing anything at all.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.