Have you ever seen a movie or news wherein there’s too much fist-fight involve youths and group of teens? Too much violence, right? Why are they doing those things? Looking at their perspective, I believe they will tell you they are just helping each other. But how far is too far? Are you willing to sacrifice your life for a friend, but for what cause? Those are some questions I have for the kind of friendship that the teens of our generation are trying to establish right now.
Honestly speaking, I don’t see any point of having fraternities and sororities for the youth. If they’re going to convince you and say that it will serve as protection for you, I encourage you to say “No”. Believe me, you will gain friends even if you don’t engage to this kind of activities. You will just invite danger to your life once you start joining and get involved with people in that kind of clan. So tell me, who would want that?
Yes, I’m pro-friendship. We all need one another, so I see no wrong in having friends. But looking closely at your life, do you have the kind of friends makes you feel naked (for they see your good and bad sides), the kind of friends makes you feel secured (for you know you can trust them with your life) and the kind of friends that stand for the truth (for they will correct you in your mistakes)? Quite thinking now, are you? When you have those kinds of friends, well I congratulate you for your great choice! But if you don’t have them, look for them. It’s never too late to find one.
I’m not saying that having friends who have the same interest when it comes to spiritual aspects will kill the fun and excitement in your friendship. Hey! I know how it feels to do fun stuffs too. In fact, it will be more fun! You’ll get involved with different people, join outreach programs and school activities and still enjoy being young. But how? No one asked you to compromise your shopping trips and video games because we all know that’s the trend and will always be the trend for our generation. On the other hand, having wrong friends in your life will give a large impact in your life to the point wherein they will force you to do what they do. Take drugs, drown yourself with alcohol, smoke like a chimney, are just some of the vices a typical “B.I.” or “bad influence” would ask you to do. Without noticing, it will affect your growth as an individual that will shape you up as you grow older.
So start as soon as you can to learn how to discern and classify the friends you have right now. Are they the type of friends who will stick beside you through thick and thin? Are they friends for keeps? The decision will always be ours so we better choose wisely. Peer groups are cool, they keep us company, they make things easier to take in. But remember that God also has His opinions on the inner circle you have right now. He is concerned with who’s with you, what you are doing and how your friends can influence you in terms of making decisions for your life. Because God is the ideal friend, I’m sure you know what kind of friends will influence your life. So next time you want to hang around with someone, make sure you asked God for guidance for you to see His hand-picked brothers and sisters by Jesus’ blood.