Choosing Not to Continue a Friendship

As I grow older, I’m learning that not all friendships are right for me.  This year, was definitely a year of realization that I really want more true, authentic friendships.  With technology these days, the term “friend” is used in a very loose context.  A friend is definitely someone you can rely on, talk to live and in person, and will support you no matter what life throws at you.

This authentic friendship that I talk about has to be a friendship I can truly believe in and support.  I cannot be friends with someone that chooses values that I do not believe in.  It would be a lie on my part to say I am friends with someone that I do not agree with the choices he or she has made or is currently making in his or her life.

As a Christian, I have struggled with ending friendships.   Am I being mean and not being “Christ-like” by choosing not to be friends with somebody?  The answer I have come up with is no I am not.  I am being true to myself and my values by not supporting a friendship that goes against my values that I hold so dear to my heart. 

I constantly reflect on if I am setting a good example for my children by choosing to end a friendship?  But then I look at the other side, am I setting a good example for my children being friends with an individual that you know has a history and lying, cheating, and stealing?   I have come to the conclusion that the best example I can give my children, is to choose the right type of friends that carry similar values as yourself.  We constantly tell our children to not hang out with the “bad” kids, shouldn’t that premise be carried into adulthood?