Leaving Friends

When You Have to Leave People Behind

Sometimes we have to leave the people we once called friends goodbye. When there are people that are going in a different direction than you and all you want to do is help them out...sometimes you can't. People see you changing and when it's for the better you realize that you don't have as many friends as you thought you did. There are the people who want to use you, those who don't want to see you grow and those that like staying where they are and when you grow they lash out. Either way it goes, these are the types of people who you thought were like family back when you were in your mess but now they want to act like they don't know you or try and keep you from your growth. Have you ever had to deal with these types of people? I know I have but the good thing is that once you start keeping your distance, you will gain closer friends who are going on the same path you are and can help you along. I'm not saying to cut off all communication with your old clique (even though you have to sometimes) but I am saying that sometimes it's a lot easier to love somebody from a distance.

When you have been there for somebody for thick and thin sometimes you don't want to let go. Sometimes you think that because you have been there for so long that you have to keep being there for that person. That's a bold faced lie from the very pits of hell and now that I got that out of my mind, I just you to remember that you should never feel obligated to do anything. God gave us free will and if you ever feel obligated to talk to someone or do something for somebody then, chances are, you probably should NOT do it. Stop doing it, those so called friends aren't going to be as nice to you as they used to be. They'll talk about how you're never there for them and about how you aren't the same anymore when really the only thing that changes is that you have stopped being their benefactor. Ain't that about a nothing?

Then there are those friends who like being rock bottom. Lyfe Jennings has a song called "Greedy" and there's a line in it that says, "she got comfortable at the bottom and wanted to stay there". We have all had friends like that, and you may think I'm generalizing but trust me, once you live long enough you'll understand. There are people who will moan, groan, whine and complain about where they are in life but don't actually want to change. They like being where they are or are afraid of change and because they are afraid they hate it. So when you start moving on up like George, Wheezy and Florence, they start acting a little shady. They start talking about how you're acting different. How you think you are better than them and how you are forgetting where you come from. No you haven't forgotten anything, you just used your past to move forward while they used their pasts to keep them in their own little pity parties. But I rebuke that in the name of Jesus. Nobody has time to be feeling sorry for themselves, there is way too much to do and not enough time to do it. Don't let those people keep you from living out your dreams or moving up in your life. These are people you have to let go slowly. It will be hard, they will talk about you behind your back and shun you to your face but when you out there doing it big and living how you have tried to live for years, who is going to be the one smiling? You are. That's the important thing.

There will always be friends you have to let go and at times it feels like you are so low on friends that all you have is enemies but that's not true. You can't really be true friends with two completely different types of people so God is not going to place a whole lot of people into your life until you start cutting off those people who are bad for you. I speak from experience, I don't even talk to my friends from when I started college, unless it's in passing, but I have never gone out of my way to make conversation and I have obviously grown since I stopped talking to them. And now I have a great circle of people who appreciate me for me, not for what I do. These people want to see me grow and are trying to grow themselves so I know that I won't be ostracized for trying to live out my dreams and that's an amazing feeling.

Don't get mad or upset when you cut people off. Don't feel bad. It'll help you be a better you in the long run. Be Me by Tedashii