Whose driving that car?

Where are your friends taking you?


I remember listening to a John Bytheway talk once and something he said really struck me. He was talking about being in a car with your friends and being on a journey. He asked what is your destination? who is in control of the vehicle? who is going on the journey with you?

It made me think about how important it is to have good friends around you, as they will have an influence on you in your thoughts, decisions and in who you are becoming.

In thinking deeper about the car analogy, this i think can apply a lot to the younger generation but can still apply to every age depending on what  role our friends play in our lives.

My Family

 In the groups of friends that we have, who is/ are the ones, having the most influence on us? is this the person driving us to our destination? Is the destination a place of peace happiness and progression or are they taking us in the wrong direction towards careless choices, misery and poor judgement of others? do they encourage us to be a better version of ourselves and are they there for us in our time of need? Do they like a good catch up on gossip during the week and when you need them for support are too busy for a one to one?
 
Sometimes the best and most reliable friends we have are the ones who we are related to. I think i can count my dear sisters and my parents as the best friends that i have ever had. They sacrifice for me, they love me even when i am being down right stupid and they forgive so easily. Family is something i hope i will never take for granted.

So how do we surround ourselves with good friends?

To have good friends, be a good friend. Show genuine interest in others; smile and let them know you care about them. Treat everyone with kindness and respect, and refrain from judging and criticizing those around you. -Strength for youth. Lds.org

How much of ourselves do we give?

Personally i think that sometimes you need to spring clean when it comes to friends, if there are friends that are having too much of a negative effect on you, then maybe it is time to walk away from that friendship. I have friends that need my help and support and maybe going through a rough time and all i want to do is give them all of me, all my time attention love and care, this can be good in the right measure but too much involvement in others problems can potentially drain us and drag us down and put us in an undesirable situation. There is only so much help you can give a person, they need to do there part and if they need professional help then encourage them to seek it.

A friend in Christ

John 15:13 'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.'

Surely there cannot be a greater friend we have than in our dear brother Jesus Christ who suffered all that we might live. we have so much to learn from his example, the way he treats his fellow men. he is not concerned about surrounding himself with the most popular likeable people, he didn't care if his best friend had an indoor swimming pool or the best taste in music. He went about with his disciples and his apostles, he loved them, healed their sick ones,taught them how to gain treasures in heaven and helped them with their unbelief. Surely we have a thing or two to learn form his divine example.