When a Friend Leaves You Out

Hey, Carpool Crew! Happy Saturday. I'm Pastor Justin, and before we jump in, let me give a big shout-out to Beau, Beckham, Belle, Brooks and Birdie-Mae from Fort Myers, Florida. So glad you are with us this weekend. And this episode is about one of the worst feelings there is: finding out your friends did something fun and did not include you. You know that punch-in-the-stomach moment when you hear them laughing about the thing you were not invited to? Yeah. That one really hurts. Let's jump in with the one thing I want you to remember for the ride: when a friend stings you, you can choose to forgive instead of keeping score. Listen to this from Colossians 3:13. Paul writes, "bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive." A grievance is just a fancy word for a hurt you have a real right to be upset about. And even then, the verse says, forgive. Paul knew friends let each other down. He was not pretending it does not happen. He was telling us what to do when it does. Here is the part that lands. Keeping score feels good for about a minute. But every hurt you save up is one more tally mark, and pretty soon you are staring at that scoreboard all day instead of enjoying your friends. Forgiving is not saying it did not hurt. It is wiping the board clean. If Jesus were sitting next to you right now, He would remind you, "I know that stung, and I am not asking you to pretend it did not. I am asking you to hand it to Me instead of carrying it around. I already forgave you for a whole lot." It is Monday, and you find out your two friends had a sleepover this weekend and did not invite you. Your face goes hot. You could freeze them out and keep score for a week. Or you could do the brave, honest thing, say, "Hey, that actually hurt my feelings," and then let it go instead of building a wall. Hey, this week, try these two things. First, if a friend leaves you out, tell them how it felt instead of getting them back. Honest beats revenge every time. Second, wipe the board clean. Say it to God: I forgive them, help me mean it. Hey, let's go back to that one thing I wanted you to remember for the ride. When a friend stings you, you can choose to forgive instead of keeping score. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And parents, you probably know a family walking through some friendship hurt right now. Go ahead and share this episode with them. Before you go, let's answer this question together. Is there a hurt you have been keeping score on, and what would it feel like to wipe that scoreboard clean this week? I'll see you tomorrow on Carpooling with Jesus.