This summer I went on an all girls trip with several of my friends to the Bahamas. I had a ball. I think I can speak for the rest of the group as well and say, “we all did”!
It was a much needed vacation considering I can’t remember the last time I actually had a real vacation. It was awesome!
Until it was ruined by one of the ladies on the trip. Not just any one of the ladies on the trip, it was my best friend. We have been through so much in the 15 years we have been friends. Some good, some bad. Lately, I would say majority being bad.
Like I said, it was supposed to be an all girls get away. No spouses, No kids. On the third day of our trip, we noticed that my friend was puling further and further away from the group. Spending more time in her room, disappearing to make phone calls for long periods of time, all the signs of someone who was homesick.
We concluded that she was most likely just missing her husband and 15 month old baby. Boy were we wrong!
We decided to all get together for a sunrise breakfast. As we all gathered around the table, we counted 6 girls. Someone was missing. Once again, it’s the same person- My “homesick” bestie.
I tried calling her and the first couple of times it went to voicemail. Tried again, this time she answered (In her sleepy voice). I kindly reminded her of our plans to gather for breakfast. She apologized and said she would be down shortly.
She joined us about 30-45 minutes later, but she wasn’t alone. She was with a man. But he wasn’t her husband. I had no clue who this man was. Talk about awkward! It was so uncomfortable for all of us.
Oh and let me not forget to add that this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. We’re best friends and our husbands are pretty close as well. I was her alibi at times even when I didn’t know it.
You may be wondering why I would involve myself in something like this? Well the truth is I didn’t want to “judge” her. All my life, I’ve heard people throw around the oh so popular verse- Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you be not judged.”
With this verse engraved in my memory, I thought my Christianly duty was just to continue to love my friend for who she was- flaws and all… But what I had to realize was that I could do that and not allow myself to get entangled in her web of lies.
In 2 Timothy Paul writes to encourage Timothy in his Christian life. He urges him to be strong in what he believes. He told him to preach the gospel and teach the truth. So it’s okay to stand up for what you know is right and to stand against what you know is wrong.
Here are a few ways I was able to maintain the friendship without compromising my values, my marriage, and my sanity:
I Prayed for My Friend-
I prayed for my friend- EVERYDAY.
I prayed…
- That God would remove the desire for her to step outside of her marriage.
- That He would put the fire back in their marriage as I had once witnessed before.
- That her husband would be forgiving of her truth.
- That they would both be able to move past this. And He answered every prayer.
I Created Boundaries-
I made it painfully clear that I would not be her scapegoat any longer. No more keeping secrets and lying to my husband. No more being weighed down with the burden of the truth. I let her know plain and simple, “I love you, but I love my God more.”
I Convinced her to Come Clean-
Some may say, why even bother bringing up the past? What he don’t know, won’t hurt him. Just pray about it and be done with it. No… Pray about it for sure.
But you must address it. It’s the only way to move forward. Otherwise, it’s just going to keep surfacing one way or another. Repent and create a new slate.
- I Know This is What I Was Born to do, BUT… - July 18, 2018
- Thank God For His Mighty Protection - June 18, 2018
- God Knows What You’re Going Through - December 19, 2017
