People may move forward into a friendship that involves you getting to know them better and then fall back to a place where they don’t want to be there anymore. You may have a friend that has progressed from a business relationship to a casual friendship and then start refusing to be your casual friend. Personal friendships may progress to the point where the person has shared a lot of things with you. But, there may come a point where they stop sharing personal information and issues and just want to talk about casual subjects or want to discontinue all friendship with you.

You and Jesus have to decide what to do about each situation you face, when a relationship regresses. He will have to let you know whether to just drop the relationship all together, or, just go back to doing business with them and reestablish a casual relationship or business relationship with them. It is a matter of you and Jesus deciding whether or not to keep pursuing the relationship. However, we must treat these people with love, respect, and kindness if our paths cross. We must not allow disappointment, frustration, or resentment enter our heart.

Let’s say you have a mentor friend that is doing studies with you and all of a sudden they don’t want to do it anymore. If Jesus wants you to stay in touch with them, you might go all the way back to a business relationship. Depending on what the person is willing to allow, you will need to maintain contact with them by using the methods discussed in that type of relationship.

Don’t ASSUME anything as to why you think a person is resisting a certain level of friendship. QUESTIONS are still the best way of helping and bringing healing to a relationship. Let THEM tell you what kind of issues and problems they are going through that are causing them to back off. If they don’t want to talk about it, then find out from Jesus what you should do next.

There can be things that are too embarrassing for them to be willing to discuss with you. It can be a lack of spiritual desire; it can be circumstances that they don’t think you would understand; it can be influences from other people who are resisting their relationship with you. It can be any of a number of things that they may or may not be willing to talk about.

Not all relationships will be for the purpose of building them into productive relationships of spiritual growth. Many of your business relationships will only be about you buying and selling things that make this life possible. They may never be about building those relationships and taking them to the next level.

We are to treat everyone with love, respect, and kindness. We must not start trying to manipulate people. During family times with relatives and times of playing sports, there will be people around you that you will just be friendly to. You will be friendly to them because of the wonderful things Jesus has done in your life. It is important that you just let relationships develop as Jesus and these people allow you to. We need to not try to force anything on these people. We need Jesus to guide us every moment of everyday to trust Him with all these decisions.

We all have a responsibility to be loving, caring, and cordial with ALL those around us. Sometimes the way we treat the people around us helps them see what Christianity is all about. We don’t treat people a certain way just because they are our friends. Jesus wants us to be loving and caring even with our enemies.

Some of the people you cross paths with will eventually become involved in spiritual growth with someone else. As the love of Jesus pours out of you on everyone you come in contact with, special spiritual seeds are planted in their hearts. Jesus may not use you to do any more in their life than just be friendly to them as you pass by. As you allow Jesus to shine through you into everyone’s life, many are prepared for being open to other Christians at a later date.

If we allow Jesus to free us from all personal agendas, we won’t be going around looking for people to mentor. We will be allowing Jesus to flow through us so as to do WHATEVER He wants done. All kinds of people will be entering and leaving your life; only Jesus knows and is able to pick which ones should spend more time with you. Just want to do His will and He will empower you to be at the right place, at the right time, doing and saying the right things with the right people.