Friends Call For Your Best

How many friends do you have? That may be hard to count or determine. However, if you are on Facebook, you can look at the number of friends that you have. If you look at mine, I am at 284, but even with that number, I don't know how deep the majority of our friendships go. There are also a number of other friends that I have which are not on Facebook, some of which do not even own a computer.

Have I ever had to "unfriend" someone on Facebook? Yes. Sometimes I wish it was that easy in real life but it's not. There are some people who come into your life you just wish you could take out of your life.

We usually think of a friend as someone who knows you a bit deeper than someone else. Someone who would defend you, support you, wouldn't judge you, would talk before tearing you down, etc. As we focus on the idea of our friends, take a look at this week's quote...

The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best. ~ Epictetus


One of the "tests" of friendship comes about when the "chips are down." I have had some people in my life in which I thought they were "friends" but it turned out they were "fair weather" and when things weren't going as smooth between us, our friendship dissolved into an "un-friendship."

Friends are people who will bring about your best. So, who is your friend? Choose wisely!

Now its your turn...have you ever wanted to "unfriend" someone? Why?

Do Your Best - Don't Worry About the Rest

My parents always told me to "do my best". They didn't expect perfection, but just that I try my best. As I have chosen a field which involves constant expectations, I still keep in mind what my parents said to me many years ago. This week's quote inspired me to do my best and not worry about the rest...

I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won't amount to anything. ~ Abraham Lincoln

There was another phrase my parent's said a lot, "Don't worry about others, worry about yourself". Pairing that with the first phrase creates a concept that when you are trying to do all you can, what other people think is meaningless.

We must be confident enough in our own decisions that we are not overly concerned with what other people think. I know I am not perfect and I make mistakes, but I am confident of the goal that I aimed to achieve. As a minister, there is never a time that I do something that I do not have a purpose and a goal in mind.

As you go through life, may you "do your best" and be able to look back and not worry about anyone who may say something against you.

Doing my best...

E-mail Encouragement - Constant & Unexpected Encouragement

Being surprised is practically always a good thing. If a friend or family member brought you a surprise gift, it would brighten your day. If you received an unexpected pay raise, it would brighten your day. Sure, you could come up with as many negative things to be surprised about as positive, but why borrow trouble. I think that surprises are encouraging, which brings me to the quote...

Any mans life will be filled with constant and unexpected encouragement if he makes up his mind to do his level best each day. ~ Booker T. Washington

A life "filled with constant and unexpected encouragement" would be a great life to be living. When you are "doing your best" each day, you don't dwell on the bad things, you are going full speed to try to do all the good that you can. I can bear witness to this, as the days when I am up in arms over something, I don't accomplish as much. The days when I am striving to do my best and not letting other things bother me, it allows a lot of "unexpected encouragement" to come my way. After seeing "Facing the Giants" I try to remember to keep "building my wall" for God. He needs me and I want to do what I can to be His hands, feet, ears, eyes, etc. here on earth.

May you have a day "filled with constant and unexpected encouragement"!

Seeking Him ~