The Bystander Effect…
The greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that any one of them will help an individual in an emergency situation. This to me describes most christians, we tend to get together and have tons of fun together but when it is “Good Samaritan Time” we are suddenly very busy with our lives. This also describes many friendships… these days true friendships are difficult to find, Over the years I have become increasingly aware that the sacrifices that we make for our friends may never be reciprocated… So many times I have gone above and beyond for a friend completely convinced that they would do the same for me… Only to find that when the time came and I needed somone to be there for me… no one was there… I adopted the saying… ” I just want a friend that is as good a friend to me as I am to them” It became a real source of pain for me… I constantly felt let down and abandoned…
One day I received a message from a friend begging me to give them some of my time… just to talk. I had let a few calls go to voicmail, and not answered a few emails… and this message was a loving rebuke that maybe I should spend less time focused on my latest obsessions and remember my friends. Suddenly it struck me… I had become the type of friend that I was always disapointed in…
what kind of friend are you? If others are standing around do you step out for your friends? do you sacrifice your time for your friends? Do you serve your friends as well as they serve you?
What about the people around you that are hurting? do you take time to talk? or pray? do you take a chance and say something?
or are you just a bystander contributing to the effect?
Great, great point. And does your time for your friend have a time limit? For example are you willing to be a friend up and until midnight or does it also mean being a friend in the dead of night?
larry,
A good point, being a true friend is almost a lost art, there have been times that this very subject has been the thing that was most discouraging… being an empathetic personality, I tend to ignore time and convenience for others… however there have been times that I just needed someone to really just “take the time” when they had other priorities… that to me seemed to be a bit misplaced
So true. Real friendships are hard to find, I just blogged about my best friend, the Jonathan to my David so to speak. I know she is always there for me, but there are other friends who aren’t, and I think that I too have gotten so hurt by that I’ve let them down on my part. Thank you for this reminder about being a good friend no matter what.
in Him,
Tricia
Thanks tricia, glad to hear from you. glad I could encourage you! thanks for coming by and visiting!
Jason