Brothers and Sisters in Christ

BIBLICAL POINT OF REFERENCE:

"Walk with the wise and you become wise, but the companion of fools fares badly."

~Proverbs 13:20

I'm sure we all have friends who may not share the same beliefs that we do, but maybe we also have friends who we can come together with and share in the faith. Yesterday evening was a perfect example: I got the chance to do a Skype chat with some Catholic Twitter users, and it was wonderful to be able to talk with them freely about how much I love God. I am someone who lives on both ends of the friend spectrum: I have friends who believe in everything I believe in, and I have friends who believe in everything I disagree with. I find it really challenging to get along with friends of the opposite faith or no faith sometimes because I want them to see what I see, and I still hurt when they hurt, because they don't know God. It can also be hard because their beliefs and opinions are their own, and they make their own choices as to how they present their beliefs, so there isn't anything I can do to change their minds. When I am with my friends who are all Catholic or Christian, however, my faith grows stronger, and I grow closer to Jesus. I am enlightened by the people of God that surround me, and I am happier for it.

My point here is not to suggest being friends with only people who have the same beliefs you do; on the contrary, meet new people with different perspectives, and at the very least, learn from them! But I do want to recommend that you have someone or some people in your life that you can go to to talk about the faith. It's all in the balance--sometimes others can see what you cannot. So my challenge for you all today is to think of all your friends, both of the faith and not, and be thankful for the opportunities and life lessons that they provide for you. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, whether we know it or not! Your Laughing Sister, Callahan

Check out the STRENGTH and HAPPINESS quotes pages for more inspiration!