A true friend

"It's nice to see how your family has changed," I told someone recently. "The boys are so grown up and respectful, your husband is now taking on new responsibilities, and you are more at peace."

We tend to look for people who are where we are or who accept us as we are. And many times we expect to stay that way. But if we are sincere about our progress, our journey, our mission in life, than we should expect something different. We should expect challenge. And most challenges change us.

Funny how we accept that in nature, growth as a sign of health and life. No one complains when the seed they planted becomes a flower, or when the seeded lawn becomes grass. And all of that happens because of sun and rain.

Our spiritual life needs the same, and we find it in a good friend or companion. I should expect a true friend, one who is healthy for me, to be the one whose honesty and trust enable me to accept challenges. A good friend will have the courage to criticize me as well, as a way to urge me forward. I will accept constructive criticism because I, too, will express honest opinions. Such a relationship helps nurture the strongest roots.

If you look at your life and fail to see it changing, then it might be time to re-evaluate your relationships. It might be time to see if they harbor true life or superficial pleasantries.