My Scripture for today is: Proverbs 18:24 “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother”
Why is (a good) friendship better than therapy? Because you have to pay the therapist (to listen to you) a friend does it for free. A friend loves you even when your words are not happy, Holy, wholesome or even “Politically or rationally correct”
A friend will hear your worst fears, pain, sorrow, hateful feelings, anger, rage, and all your “dark night of the soul” stuff without passing Judgement. I know the best friend to talk to is Jesus but since we cannot see him the next best thing is a friend who has
allowed HIS very heart to develop within their soul realm.
When we listen to friends we should learn to listen with our heart, asking God’s light to be there with us. When a friend is in pain, it’s not a great time to jump to conclusions about them or offer little platitudes, unkind remarks, or make them feel stupid because WE never experienced that type of pain.
Developing empathy takes time. Christians, please remember that Literally thousands of things were said that are not in our bibles. The early Christians had no scripture to quote. therefore, we know a whole lot more was said than what is in the pages before us.
I ask myself questions such as “If Jesus’ Had compassion they hadn’t eaten for three days while listening to him preach, what other things did he have compassion about?
It’s wonderful to say the right things in the face of evil and pain, and to have the continual goal of staying positive, however, there are times people just need a Friend (to listen) And the compassionate listeners in your life are those unsung heroes who are often the wind beneath our wings.
Laura Grace 
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