The story of the boy who cried wolf is one I'm sure just about all of us know and have seen to be accurate. If someone lies over and over, when they tell the truth (if they do), they aren't believed. For the boy it meant he got eaten, if memory serves me right.
Recently I've thought about how the chronically needy are a lot like that boy. A life in a perpetual crisis, never improving for more than a day or so, regularly needing advice, prayer, encouragement or time, gradually wears those around them down. It is true that some lives are more challenging than others. But it is also true that a wildly different picture can be painted if the perspective is changed. Some times situations really are tough for the long haul, but how that is approached makes so much difference in how those nearby respond or feel.
I'm sharing this because if you are more of a taker, be careful. At some point you will have cause for real support but those around you might be sucked dry. Just like the marriage love-tank needs filling, so does the friendship storehouse. Self-sacrifice goes a long way.
Finally, if at your core you are convinced you have it harder than those around you, then you have a bigger problem my friend. I can't say that outlook helps in the friendship department for long. Eventually people figure that gig out. Life is full of seasons, and some of us get the harder ones early, some in the middle, and some at the end of life. It's those who have it the worst but still manage to bless others that are blessed themselves.
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