True Friends and Doing Right

I've been struggling with this feeling of loneliness. I love this wonderful place, but there aren't many people my age to do things with, and even fewer of them are single. Don't get me wrong, I love having married friends, and I love that they have children I can play with, but sometimes it's nice to be able to connect with people in similar situations. And, despite how much I love this place, I do miss that... A LOT! I've found that I took for granted having good friends, I mean REALLY GOOD friends. The kind of friends that you can do ridiculous things with and they don't judge you...they do it too. The kind of friends that you can pour your heart and soul out to and they listen and know just what to say (and sometimes what needs to be said). The kind of friends who support my goals and decisions and join me or uplift me instead of trying to make me change who I am and who I want to be in order to be with them. Over the last several months I've developed friendships with people but in a few instances (in both my personal and professional life) I've had to distance myself from people I hold dear because they weren't building me (and there's a good chance I wasn't doing that for them either). It doesn't mean we're not still friends or that I don't care about them and vice versa, but true friends will not pressure you to do that which is against your beliefs and standards, or criticize you for your standards and/or beliefs.

 

I've been in situations where I was able to withstand that type of pressure, and I've also had times where I've given in (lesson learned) and had to make some changes in my life. Regardless of the people or situations I've found myself in, I've been criticized. But what makes it worth it is when I know that I'm doing right in the eyes of Heavenly Father. I feel I need to make this clear - it's not about being right versus someone's else's "wrong", or being better than someone else. It's about being right with Him and being better today than I was yesterday.

 

I regret the times where I didn't stand as I should have, where I caved in to the wills and ideas of others, but I've learned much from those times. This quote by Eleanor Roosevelt (courtesy of Pinterest...where else?) has encouraged me to stay on the path. And she's right. I'd rather be critcized for being on the Lord's side and doing what I feel to be right than to be criticized for doing wrong.