Three years ago I had a million and one issues and I had one friend that I relied on to help me through every one of them. At the time I was naive and under the impression that my happiness depended on this one individual. He was the sole person in my life I thought I could trust who would always help me through difficult times. This dependency on him became so severe that I did not want to even imagine my life without him in it. Now I know from the title of this piece you probably think I’m talking about God but I’m not, I really am talking about the reliance and faith I put into one human being that I was friends with. This was a big mistake because the friend I had got tired of hearing my problems and no longer wanted anything to do with me. At that point I thought my world was over and then I began listening to a song called “You Are Everything” by a Christian artist named Matthew West. When I listened to the song, I immediately began to compare the “you” that the artist was referring to, to my friend until I realized I was comparing this high school teenager to God- The God who sent His son to die for us- The God whose love is deeper than any other. That was when I became conscious of my error- relying on a human when I should have relied on God. This happens to be a common mistake people make. We put too much faith in our friends which is why we are often let down by them and why we often fight with them. We get mad when they aren’t there for us, when they tell our secrets, when they talk bad about us and when we just get sick of them. We should just start putting all of the hopes and expectations we have in God and then we will start to see things differently. I don’t really know exactly how to explain the rest of that epiphany I had- it’s been on my mind a lot recently and I’ve been trying for weeks now to describe it perfectly (I wrote this in July)- so I decided that since it will never be perfect I would finish explaining the rest of my feelings for God in this little poem.
I have a secret to tell you, will you listen?
This secret of mine makes my eyes glisten.
Wetness in them as I share the best thing there is to share,
The assurance I give you, that somebody cares.
Somebody who will never let you down,
Somebody who created the things all around.
While the One I’m telling you about might not sound real,
I’ve got to take this moment to show you how I feel.
I feel that God is the best friend there is,
A friend who will love you always, because you are His.
Some may disagree because of mishaps in their life
And say, “How could God let this happen to me this time?”
It seems we’re always ready to blame Him for the bad stuff,
But when things are going great, we never question why this has happened to us.
No one ever takes a moment to even think about whether or not they deserve what they get.
They don’t even thank God or talk to Him about anything unless they’re upset.
These lax attitudes have always bothered me,
God is the best friend you can have as you will soon see.
Have you ever had a friend betray you? Ever have a friend talk bad about you?
God won’t. He’ll be there when needed and give you a shoulder to cry on too.
Sure He’s not a person you will be able to have a conversation with but does it matter?
I’ve shared problems with people who just said “aw-” a response that almost makes me sadder.
People say “aw” or type a sad face because sometimes they don’t care,
&because they sometimes don’t know what to say even if they do care, they can only lend an ear.
God always cares & even though He doesn’t respond, He does much more than just lend an ear.
When I talk to God, He listens to me, and helps me see things clearly
He cheers me up when I want him to and has let me down rarely.
No, that does not mean I’ve lived an always happy life but it means that I know I’ll always be alright.
And the trials in my life remind me to thank Him for the times there aren’t any.
The times when I have fun, enjoy myself and have a laugh of many.
He’s my best friend because He’s never too tired for me,
He’s my best friend because He’s never mistreated me,
He’s my best friend because He’s never ignored me,
He’s my best friend because He doesn’t whisper secrets about me.
He’s my best friend because no matter what I do He has never let me down.
So I challenge you: next time you’re sad don’t call or text a friend or family member
But instead sit down and talk to God and He will make things much better.
God is best friend there is.
Coming from someone who doesn’t believe in a god, I would say that you might need to find new friends who wont stab you in the back. God came about through texts, friends are real. They share the same emotions as you. They understand what you are going through. To put all your faith into something that is imaginary seems to hint at some insecurities. If the idea behind gods didn’t exist, people would find something else to “believe” in. It’s something about human nature that they need to believe they are here for more than evolutionary purposes. However, we really aren’t. In a few million years we wont be here at all. Anyway everybody will probably disagree with me on this one, but I’ve tried the religion thing and honestly I believe I live a much happier life without it. I would rather put my faith into living, breathing people and possibly be let down rather than something that doesn’t exist for me. I don’t judge people based on their beliefs, so I hope you take this as simply a different point of view.
In all honesty, I haven’t had friends stab me back for years now because I don’t trust people enough for that to happen- not because I’m insecure but because I think people complicate the relationships they have in their lives too much (I have strange opinions on relationships that would take a verryyyy long time to explain) and I’ve seen so many people be betrayed by others in small or big ways countless times (and not just in friendships but in boyfriend/girlfriend relationships and even marriages). And yeah I understand that’s your perspective on God and religion. I’ve just had too many experiences in life where God has answered me and just overall been there for me that I know He’s real- not just because of some words on a page or because I need something to believe in. I just think you should take my challenge. There’s nothing to lose, so just try it one day.
I am glad i read this bc a few months ago (October) I saw no need for life bc it had caused me nothing but pain and misery. That’s when i found her. She was the only person i had in my life and i put every piece of faith i ever had into her until she was my everything. and when she left i was back to being alone and now betrayed and hurt and had i not gone to God idk where i’d be today. probably not even here. Amber, i empathize with your situation 100% and you are my hero.