Journal ~ JamesSample

 GETCHA HEAD IN THE GAME 

As an only child, friendships are very important to me. I love my parents, but there's something about the sense of belonging and identity in friendships that is just… different. Working with teenagers now, I see this in most, if not all, teens as well. For better or worse, our friends help us mold our identities. When we were younger, it might be as simple as venting about grueling school work together or bonding over broken hearts. As we grow older, our trusted friends become our confidantes and advisors in life. That's probably why a lot of wise people try to remind the younger generation: choose your friends wisely.

James was quite blunt. He started out with calling the people adulterers. (I wonder how that comment was received. However, if he was trying to shock them to attention, that probably did the trick.) Then he explained that we can’t be friends with both the world and God. If we choose to be friends with the world and have them advise us and be our confidante, James explains that we will automatically classify ourselves as enemies of God. Harsh? It may seem that way, but it’s true. The values and the standards of life that come with identifying with the world is in direct opposition to the life that God invites us to live. We can't have both. We’ve got to choose our friends wisely: are we going to befriend the world or are we going to identify with God?