Friendship is a fragile thing and requires as much care in handling as any other fragile and precious things. It is something what is very valuable but you can't buy it. It must be protected. You have to take care of friendship because it is very easy to lose a friend but after that it is much more difficult to recover it again. It is like a treasure. You must keep it in safety. If you don't, it will not last anymore. Friendship cannot be defined in just a word. It means something different for every person. For this reason it isn't easy to define it. People are social beings. Friendship is very important for them. Some people even believe that friendship is more important than love. Good friendship is really more valuable than gold. But what if, the friendship that you treasure the most, suddenly burst into pieces. A friend you hadn't spoken to in a while and you accidentally run into each other. You'll look at each other for a moment, wondering whether you should talk or not, cast awkward glances and go about your business. Its funny how two friends who were once inseparable can become complete strangers isn't it? Can you put the pieces back together again? Here’re some friendly advices on how to mend a broken friendship.
Talk to God before talking to the person. Discuss the problem with God. If you will pray about the conflict instead of gossiping to a friend, you will often discover that either God changes your heart or He changes the other person without your help. All your friendships would go smoother if you would just pray more about them.
Always take the initiative. It doesn’t matter whether you are the offender or the offended. God expects you to make the first move. Don’t wait for the other party. Acting quickly also reduces the spiritual damage to you. Don’t meet or talk when either of you are tired or rushed or will be interrupted. The best time is when you both are at your best.
Sympathize with your friend’s feelings. Use your ears more than your mouth. Before attempting to solve any disagreement you must first listen to other party’s feelings. It means pay close attention. Focus on their feelings, not the facts, Begin with sympathy, not solutions. Don’t try to talk to your friend out of how they feel at first. Just listen and let them unload emotionally without being defensive.
Confess your part of the conflict. If your friendship means important to you and you’re serious in restoring it, you should begin with admitting your own mistakes or sin. Don’t make excuses or shift the blame, just honestly own up to any part you have played in the problem. Accept responsibly for your mistakes and ask for forgiveness.
Attack the problem, not the person. You cannot fix the problem if you’re consumed with fixing the blame. You must choose between the two. You will never get your point across by being across, so choose your words wisely. Just remember, in mending a broken friendship, how you say it is as important as what you say.
Cooperate as much as possible. Peace always has a price tag. Sometimes it costs our pride; it often costs our self-centeredness. For the sake of friendship, lower your pride. Do your best to compromise, and adjust to others.
Learn to forgive. Forgiving someone is hard especially if that person makes a great mistake to you. But, if you truly love your friend, you should forgive. Time heals everything.
Life is too short to hold grudges and harbor bitterness. Cherish the people who have been with you and are always with you. Friends are always friends no matter what, every friendship goes through its good and bad phases, but remember that you can make a difference by taking the first step and bridging the gap.
True friendship is perhaps the only relation that survives the trials and tribulations of time and remains unconditional. To experience what is friendship, one must have true friends, who are indeed rare treasure.
