A friend of mine, John, recently found himself in a difficult situation where, out of love for his friend, Jill, he felt compelled to challenge her about what he thought was a poor decision. John acted out of love, but Jill felt judged. In my opinion, John still did the right and loving thing, although that friendship is most likely over now.

Not actually John and Jill. Not actually anybody really…

As is understandable, John is upset. Now in one sense this could be very good; losing a friend is a kind of death. In another sense, however, this would be very bad because it’s never right or safe to allow others’ feelings to influence us without our approval.

What I mean is this: John is having difficultly with the fact that Jill doesn’t like him anymore. Why might this be? I think John unknowingly gave Jill too much authority over his perceived worth (the “am I good or bad, and if so how much?” factor). Faith can play a significant role in a situation like this.

Before I give my opinion, I’m interested in yours. How do you think John’s faith in God might help him in his situation?

(The identities of the above characters have been kept confidential by random assignment of name and/or change of gender. Any correspondence to actual persons is purely coincidental.)