Are you prepared?

After over 4 decades of life, there are a few lessons I have learned. One of the most important is - storms will come in life! You will experience hard times because of external situations. You will encounter difficulties because of internal failures. Problems will come! The main question is, are you ready for them?

In recent days, I have had the chance to experience the "body of Christ" as it should function. Seven of my closest friends gathered together to help one of our group. Each member of the group has faltered at one time or another, and each time, the group has rallied around the members. Sins are exposed and dealt with. Failures are displayed for the group, and together choices are made to strengthen the fallen. There is safety, but not devoid of honest evaluation. The friends speak truth to each other, no matter how hard it is to hear. Reconciliation is the ultimate goal. Maturity of each individual, as well as the whole, is the primary concern.

I share this to ask - are you ready for the storms of life? Had each of us been without the others as we walked through our hard times, we would have been destroyed. Most of us tried to deal with our sins and failures apart from the group, and to the extent we did, we suffered for it. It was when in humility (many times forced as a result of obvious failures) we turned to the others that healing began. Storms will come. You will fail. However, that does not need to be the end of the story. Find some true friends. TRUE FRIENDS. Ones that will speak truth regardless of how much it might hurt. Friends that will stick with you even when you hurt their feelings. Friends that will tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. Friends that will walk with you into recovery.

By the way, this comes only by being that kind of friend! Do it!!