The other day I got my feelings hurt by a friend (not any of the ones pictured here:) I was having a hard time shaking it off, because the person had acted dishonestly with me and I realized afterward that she does not have my best interest in mind. It was very disturbing.
I shared this with Daniel, and in his wisdom he taught me (as he often will) a great life lesson. "You can not," he said certainly, "treat everyone the same. You must be very selective about who you let in. There are parts of yourself that are only for The Father. Then there are parts of yourself that are only for your spouse. Then there are parts of yourself that are only for a select few who have, over time and testing, earned a place in your heart. These few are your friends. We throw the term 'friend' around too loosely. Those who have not earned this title should be treated with love and respect, but should not be given the same quality nor quantity of ourselves as those who have earned it."
This may be old news to some of you, but it was brand new to me. I thought about it for a second, and concluded that I do treat everyone the same. Everybody from the girls I meet with for coffee every now and then to those I've known since grade school get the same me. That's not wise.
The Father says not to throw our pearls to the swine. And He himself follows this guideline. Sometimes I wonder why He doesn't just show himself to me fully. "Why are you so aloof?", I will sometimes ask him in prayer. "Why do you remain such a mystery? Why are you invisible?" But now I see that I have to earn my place in his heart. Not that I have to earn my way, nor his love (for he really does love everyone on earth equally). But He is only going to open himself fully to those select few who have pressed in to him faithfully over time. That makes sense to me. And it inspires me to press in to Him more. I want to be a friend of The Father.
