Hi, its great to see you here again!

And how to avoid falling into them.

Walter Winchell
A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.

Anonymous
To have a good friend is one of the highest delights in life; to be a good friend is one of the noblest and most difficult undertakings.

How true is this!
A good friend is one of best treasures in life, yet at the same time to be a good friend is not always that easy.

We have already looked at some of the attributes of character that will contribute towards creating and maintaining a solid friendship.

Remember, we mentioned

Trust – respect – value – forgiveness and love.

There are also some things you need to avoid doing if you want your friendship to remain strong and solid.

Don’t overstep the boundaries.
Boundaries are very important in our lives. We all have responsabilities in different areas of our lives, plus we all need our own space. It is a good idea to establish some boundaries from the beginning.

For example:

• You may have a traditional family night on Friday evenings. That night would be off limits for any phone calls from friends. This night is for your family.
  
  
• You may be in the habit of taking time to meditate and plan your day between 8am – 10am every morning. So those times also would be off limits to receive phone calls or visits. This is YOUR time.

A good friend will respect your boundaries. You of course will respect their boundaries also.

Many a great friendship has been harmed by not respecting the needs and lifestyle of the other person. No respect for boundaries is one thing that can certainly kill the relationship.

Proverbs 25:17 (Contemporary English Version) Don’t visit friends too often, or they will get tired of it and start hating you.

Don’t take your friends for granted.
One great way to maintain the spark in any relationship is to make sure you express your appreciation of the other person regularly.

Simple words such as “thank you for meeting with me today” or “I appreciate you giving me an hour of your time this morning” go a long way towards maintaining a positive relationship.

When this simple expression of respect is lost in a relationship it is easier for negative thoughts to enter into the minds of those involved.

For example: Well, he/she does not appreciate the effort I took to meet with them today.

If these negative thoughts persist and are given opportunity to increase, a good relationship can easily turn to a bad one.

We all need to be appreciated and respected.

May sure you make the effort to express your appreciation to your friends. You will find that this will help to strengthen the relationship.

Never presume upon your friends.
In many ways, this is very similar to taking our friends for granted. In fact, perhaps it is an extension of this.

How many times have we fallen into this trap similiar to the following example?

“I just know that my friend Joe will help me move on Saturday”. I am sure that you know Joe well enough to know that he would be very willing to.

• But what about his time constraints?
• What about his plans?

So you call Joe expecting to hear a positive answer when you ask him if he can help you move on Saturday. He notices that expectation in your voice, and so feels obligated to respond positively.

If this kind of pressure is put on any relationship too often, it will not be long before you will notice some negative “vibes” coming between you.

This can be avoided. How?

When we exercise consideration with all of our friends, family and acquaintances it will be much easier tto maintain a good relationship.

Be kind and considerate, and you will certainly find yourself enjoying many more positive moments with all of your friends and family.

May All Your Relationships be Successful!