Q: Mean friends. What can I do?

Q: Right now, there are a lot of people in my life that I can't consider as my friends anymore. Most of them aren't Christian, but would it be wrong to think that God has a reason for leading me away from them? I know that God sends certain people in our life to teach us a lesson and they leave when our journey together is over. The thing is that these aren't just a couple of friends, these are ALL of my (now former) close friends that's giving me a huge struggle in my life right now and some of them have just decided to be mean to me without reason. I know that God doesn't give us more than we can handle. What can I do?

A: Ecclesiastes 3:1-9 tells us about the seasons we have in our lives.

¹ There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
² a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

I believe it is perfectly okay that we have different friends in different stages of our lives. When we grow, our values and outlook on life change and sometimes we have to move on from people that don't hold those same views. Life long friends are hard and when we do have those, we are immensely blessed. With the situation you are currently going through, I can see that you are facing this struggle. You know it's time to move on, but it's hard, especially if they are giving you a tough time.

Unfortunately, there is not much you can do about your former friends. Matthew 18:15-17 tells us to talk to them about it, if it doesn't work, bring a 3rd party. If that doesn't work, than you'll just have to cut your losses and move on. I would say that you need to reflect on this situation and see if it's something that you did. Maybe you said something offensive which caused them to have this attitude towards you. In all situations, we do have to look to ourselves and analyze our actions. If it is the case that you did not do anything to offend your peers, than it's simply a time to move on.

One of my favourite verses to remember in what seems like hopeless situations comes from Philippians 4:13. It says, "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." We have to remember to rely on Christ for strength in times of need. When we don't know what to do, I'm certain our Lord does and has a greater plan for us. Keep praying...

[Answered by Pastor KJT]