No friend is perfect, and similar to every individual, each friendship is unique and may bring out different sides of us. Some friendships last a season, while others may last a lifetime. However, healthy friendships tend to have certain things in common regardless of those differences. Here are some “green flags” to look out for in your friendships and reflect on as you consider the type of friend you want to be to others.
Consider your life as a story. What chapter are you in the middle of? What have you, the protagonist, had to go through to get where you are now? Who are the key characters who have influenced you, and who do you rely on now? Where is your story going, and what obstacles stand in the way? Narrative Therapy provides a way for people to shape the stories about their experiences, relationships, and lives in order to make sense of and find meaning in the world.
Very often in counseling sessions, I hear from clients a form of the sentiment, “I know that God is all powerful, loving and good, but I doubt He is like that with me.” This is related to experiences that point to feeling forgotten by God, or overlooked by Him, or worse, being punished by Him for not being ‘X’ enough. Recently in my personal study of the Word, I was looking deeply at the book of Ruth, and the plight of Naomi struck me as echoing what my clients often express…
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