Hey
there, I trust you’re having a beautiful week. I’m having a favour-filled week,
all thanks to God’s favour.
There
is no smoke without fire; every occurrence you see on the surface is triggered
by something. Today, I’ll like to talk about things that make it difficult for
a person to retain friends. It’s easy to put the blame on every other person
and claim that they’re juts haters. But, a little soul searching may reveal
that you have a hand in it. Read this with an open and sincere heart and you’ll
get the best out of it.
1 - You can’t keep a secret
Yep!
This is one of the major reasons why a person loses friends. Friendship
requires you to be trustworthy and to be a friend one can easily confide in.
Whether or not your friend tells you not to disclose his/her words to others,
discretion should let you know that sensitive matters about your friend should
remain a secret. It should not be disclosed or used as example when teaching or
preaching. So, when you have a habit of making your friends personal matters
public news/announcement in the name of “gisting” or you have a habit of
exposing your friend’s secret when you’re having a misunderstanding, you earn
yourself the reputation of CNN and backbiter. With time, word soon spreads
around that you’re not trustworthy and even though you keep making new friends,
you’ll keep losing them. Instead of looking for new friends, work on this
aspect of yourself first.
2 - You’re too judgemental and
critical
It’s
good to speak the truth in love. But when you’re excessively critical and fond
of dishing out sarcastic remarks to your friends in public or private, you make
yourself a thorn in their flesh and you know, nobody loves to have a romance
with thorns. Friends seek comfort in each other; the world out there is already
filled with harshness, your friends do not need another dose of harshness from
you. You’re not a judge; you’re a friend – there is a difference between both.
Most of it lies in your manner of approach. Friendship is not just about being
honest, it’s about being tactful and speaking the truth in love.
3 - You use people
People
are not fools; they may act like fools, but eventually the reality hits them
someday and they get the real picture. Everyone wants to be accepted and loved
for who they are. That is why things are meant to be used and people are meant
to be cherished and appreciated. So, if you’re fond of reaching out to the
people in your life only because of what you can gain from them and you’re
never available for them either, you’re actually using people. If you only act
nice and contact people when you want to get something from them, you’re
actually a user of men. If you make using people your comfort zone, you will
eventually lose a lot of quality people from your life.
4 - You’re too clingy
When
you can’t stay on your own and must be in the company of people, you’re clingy.
And when you’re too clingy, you’re
like a crab that clings to everyone it comes in contact with to the extent of
causing discomfort. Being clingy may be tolerable from children but as we grow
older, it is expected that you should have a life of your own and be able to
give your friends the breathing space to live their own lives too. As much as
you want them to hang out with you, you need to understand that they cannot be
at your beck and call all the time, even though they love you. It is immaturity
to expect them to be available for you always. You must learn how to accept
people and take their availability to you as their tight schedule permits.
5 - You’re a liability
Do
I need to explain this??? I think it’s self-explanatory. In simple words, no
one wants a parasite for a friend – someone who drains them dry and cannot be
useful to them in anyway. Your friends are not ATMs you can keep withdrawing
from daily. You have to make yourself a blessing and an asset too.
6 - You’re envious and competitive
Friends
are supposed to be supportive of each other, not envious and competitive. You
mustn’t have everything your friend has. Or are you twins??? The most dangerous
friend anyone can have is someone who is envious and competitive; someone one
who wants to have what they have at any cost. Both character traits open the
door to negative influence and can turn a friend into a foe eventually. It’s
okay to learn from or be inspired by your friend’s achievements. But when you
exhibit envy and compare yourself with / compete with your friend, you are a
recipe for disaster waiting to happen and any wise + experienced person will
immediately start avoiding you.
7 - You’re full of complaints and
negativity
Ha!!!
There is nothing that saps the life out of you like having negative people and
complainers in your life. When you’re trying to build up your faith and
maintain a positive attitude, like a pin prick on a balloon, they puncture your
faith. They empty their negative energy on you via complaints and put too much
excess baggage on your life. Even the Lord God could not put up with the
continuous complaints, murmurings and the negative attitude of the Israelites
in the wilderness. These two patterns of behavior will not only affect your
friendships and relationships, they will also cut you off from the goodness of
God because. See (as surely as I heard you say, so will I do unto you) for more
details.
8 - You’re no longer compatible
One
of my old friends used to say “twenty friends can’t play together for twenty
years”. What that means is that friendships don’t always last forever, even if
you guys make a vow that you will stay friends forever. Though you may not
quarrel, you may eventually start drifting apart due to incompatibility (both
of you now have a different outlook on life as well as different goals), tight
schedules, increasing responsibilities or distance. If this happens, don’t take
it too personally – it’s not the end of the world. Just open your heart to the
new people around you and build new friendships.
So What Next???
See
what areas of your life you need to amend so that you’ll stop losing quality friends,
acquaintances and destiny helpers. Have a great day.P:S Do you have any questions or comments about this blogpost? Do you need counsel concerning relationships? Do you have any private issues you want to raise? Would you like to be featured as a guest blogger here? Would you like to advertise with us? Email me on graceyokoye@yahoo.com
Evidence Grace is
the founder and head-blogger at Sister 2 Sister Nigeria. She's
passionate about seeing people get it right in life, destiny and
marriage. A woman of many gifts, and talents, she is focused on
fulfilling God's purpose for her life, becoming ALL God has
fore-ordained her to be and spreading the gospel to the ends of the
earth. Her marital status?Keep your fingers crossed.
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