12:26 A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
One of my oldest son’s best friends is the son of one of my college friends. It is not by accident.
When our boys were in third grade, my friend and I became proactive in their friendship, orchestrating times for the boys to hang out together. Theirs is a friendship that probably wouldn’t have blossomed without a little push because the boys didn’t naturally cross paths. In all of their years of elementary school, they were only placed in the same classroom one time, and our families attend different churches so they didn’t see each other on the weekends either.
But Jen and I knew that they would be a good pair, so we made the effort to help them develop a friendship. They are now teenagers, and they are pretty tight. From shooting hoops, to playing video games and watching movies they spend a lot of time together. Sometimes they even get up to work out together before school in the morning.
I don’t regret the role I played in their friendship. I would do it again in a second.
Carter and Josiah’s friendship is a blessing, but I know I can’t handpick all of their friends. I can, however, pray.
I’m happy to say that my boys have picked some pretty awesome guys to hang out with, and I am not concerned that their friends are leading them down a wrong path. As they get older though, the temptations from the world will get stronger, and it is absolutely vital that I pray for my boys to be cautious and wise in developing friendships.
Prayer
Lord, I thank you for the good friendships you have blessed my boys with. I pray that you will lead them away from friendships that will pull them away from you, and help them to be the kind of friend that in both their actions and words is trustworthy and committed. And may their friendships honor you. Amen.
