New Year.... Old Friend

Last year,  I had a spiritual battle with one of college friends.    She had been challenging my beliefs for months and I knew that it would eventually become a very bad situation.  I tried to distance myself from her, but it was difficult because we had so many mutual friends that we would often end up at the same place at the same time. 

A group of my gal pals went hiking in Sedona and this girl decided to attack me the entire time.  She tore me apart.  The way I looked, the way I talked, the way I acted.  Those things hurt.  Nothing she said hurt me as much as when she insulted my Savior and my beliefs.   I know persecution of the Saints is supposed to be expected but do you know how it feels to be torn apart by a “friend” during a 4 mile long hike?   Halfway through the hike I got so upset I put on headphones and listened to praise and worship music.   I was afraid I would fight back and say some very hurtful things.  (I had very mean spirited things welling in my heart by this point).

After the hike was over and we all returned home I decided it was time for me to end that friendship.  I believed it was toxic and no longer anything I needed in my life.   I prayed about it and I felt peace about ending it.    I really wanted to take the “high road” with the situation. 

She did not take the high road.  After I told her that I thought it would be best to end our friendship she decided to trash me to all of our mutual friends.  There was a division between her and I.   I refused to lower myself to her standards.  I refused to trash her or speak badly of her.   I kept telling people that I did not want them to feel like they needed to pick sides, but most of them did.   Either you sided with Sunny or you didn’t.  Because she was trashing me and I was not retaliating, Most of them picked her side.   My spirit was crushed when I was uninvited to Thanksgiving Dinner (on Thanksgiving Day).   I was broken-hearted as I saw all of MY FRIENDS doing fun things with her as I sat alone every Friday.   She would plaster the pictures all over Facebook as a painful reminder to me that nobody wanted to be my friend anymore.   Her goal was to ruin my social life, and for the most part she did.   With the exception of my BFF, most people turned their back on me. 

I am a social butterfly~ and this was a difficult time in my life.

She got a job teaching at a University in Florida and moved away in August.  I am going to be honest and say this was a HUGE blessing to me.  Suddenly those old friendships became renewed.  Little by little my phone has been getting invites to parties and lunches.   I don’t have the exciting social life I had 2 years ago but at least I am not alone all of the time.

There is one friend that was very close to the women who trashed me.  They were like two peas in a pod.   She was not even going to try to maintain a friendship with me because she believed the other friendship was more important~ and I understood the allegiance.    Now that the toxic friendship is gone, this other woman is softening her heart to me again.

I was at a party last night and I ran into this woman.  She asked me how I was doing and we ended up talking for 2 hours.  It was as if all those hurt feelings and long months were behind us.   She wants to get together and I would like that too.  I would love to hash out things with her and renew that friendship too. 

I praise you Jesus for this renewal in my friendship.

~Sunny :D