You need this book.
Never Unfriended, by Lisa-Jo Baker
From the back cover: In a world where women can unfriend each other with the swipe of a finger, how do we find friendships that we can trust to last? Maybe by first becoming those kinds of lasting friends ourselves.”
My good friend Kathleen recommended this book, I always accept her recommendations. She is exactly the type of friend that this book boasts about. I’m lucky to have her in my life.
Over some blog posts I’m going to share some take-a-ways that I think you’ll need to have. Cliff notes for those that don’t want to purchase the book, but you should purchase it– and underline and highlight the crap out of it.
Everything quoted from the book is in italics.
In the beginning God made us in His image. It’s the only image we are supposed to fit. We try to stuff ourselves into ridiculous images that we were never designed with us in mind, and often, unintentionally, try to do the same to people around us. It’s not up to us to make the blueprint for somebody else. You can’t create people in your image, that’s God’s job. Remember, the lives of others are not your business, they are God’s business.
Love is that thing we’re supposed to give away without any strings attached. Are you trying to create a friendship or relationship in your image? Or are you honestly accepting them on their own terms? People come in all shapes and sizes and stories and it’s not our job to fix them, use them, or get them to act just like us. It’s our job to love them.
Do you have a friend that is able to do this? Let’s you BE YOU. Listens to you and loves you for YOU? I do. Kathleen. She’s amazing. When I see her on bad days I try hard to be the friend she is to me. Take the bad with the good. Listen and just be present. I accept her for who she is. Struggles and accomplishments. But let me tell you, it’s hard. It’s hard to do that with everybody! But reading this book has been a bit enlightening to me. It’s like Lisa-Jo was able to take everything I knew was right but put it into modern words and scenarios that spoke to me. Social media is a bitch and sure makes life a whole lot more challenging.
So, the take-a-way for this post is to love people for who they are. Quit trying to make that friend into the friend you want them to be. Accept them for they friend they are.
Erika LaPean 