Friends vs. Enemies

An enemy talks about you behind your back without any remorse or desire to change the behavior.

A friend won’t talk bad about you behind your back, but if they do a friend will apologize for their mistake.

An enemy will lie to you in your face and make it seem like you’re the liar when they are confronted.

A friend will be honest with you and be able to face the truth when they are wrong.

An enemy doesn’t want any good to come your way and only lives for your destruction.

A friend prays earnestly that you will live a successful, healthy, and beautiful life.

An enemy will take advantage of you every moment he or she can. They will be spiteful when they should be appreciative, hurtful when they should be grateful, and put you down when they should be building you up.

A friend will look for opportunities to be a blessing to you and not just wait for opportunities to be blessed. They will be forgiving when they shouldn’t forgive; they will appreciate you, even when they feel unappreciated, they will be grateful, and will not allow others to tear you down.

An enemy cares nothing for your tears.

A friend will cry with you.

An enemy can ignore you for days, months, even years.

A friend will send some form of contact to let you know they care or they are thinking of you.

An enemy is content looking at your drama as their entertainment.

A friend will let you know you may need to change in order to grow and press forward.

An enemy will let you do them wrong to gain sympathy from others.

A friend will point out your wrong and hold you accountable to righting that wrong.

An enemy won’t support you in anything positive.

A friend will support you when no one else will.

How many of us have been friends? How many of us can live up to the standards of the kind of friend described in these statements? How many enemies do we have posing as friends? Are you a friend or an enemy in disguise? We have to learn that our actions speak louder than words and that we can’t go around calling people our friends and unable to live up to the standards of being a friend. Don’t get me wrong friends will mess up and so will you, but at the end of the day you know a friend because they stick closer than a brother.

Her name is Erica.

Erica is talking to her best friend Lisa.

Erica: Marvin is with that other woman right now.

Lisa: No he isn't girl I would leave his sorry butt.

Erica: No I can't leave him I love him; even if he's cheating on me emotionally I still love him.

Lisa: Well you need to put him in his place. He doesn't need to be talking to her about his feelings. Shoot what does he have to be sad about? He has a beautiful fiance who loves him, a job that pays him well, and a car that works. So why does he need to talk to you about his feelings? Girl I told you he was soft.

Erica: Lisa girl you are too much, but you're right. I've told him before that he needs to stop complaining to me about his job or how his day went. I mean he's a man and he's supposed to work and take care of home. I mean I love Marvin don't get me wrong, but he is too soft. I mean he's almost my dream come true, except he doesn't bring that rough man to the house.

Lisa: I told you that you should have stayed with Quinton. Yeah he couldn't hold down a decent job all the time and he was a little off the hook, but you had excitement with him and he definitely ain't try to come to crying like no little girl.

Erica: (sucks her teeth): Lisa Quinton was not for me OK. I've told you I grew out of that, but I do wish Marvin could man up like Quinton did. When things got rough for Quinton he didn't complain, he took the world by the shoulders and beat it into submission.

Lisa: Whew now that's a man. You need to leave Marvin weak butt; especially since he found a new girl to talk to.

Erica: He says they are just friends, but all I know is that he's cheating on me emotionally. But he says that talking to another woman about our problems and his concerns isn't cheating. He says at least he's not sleeping with her.

Lisa: Well if you guys keep going the way you are and he keeps running to her. She might just let him run right to in between her...

(Erica cuts Lisa off)

Erica: Don't talk like that Lisa. You know I hate it when you say stuff like that.

Lisa: Alright, but don't sit around and wait for it to happen. Maybe you need a shoulder to cry on as well.