I was recently looking through pictures of my old friends from high school and reminisced about good times we have had.  While I look back on those times fondly, many of those friendships have grown distant over the years and I feel no strong desire to rekindle them.  Then I look at the friendships that have lasted, what makes the difference?  My first thought was that having the same standards was the key.  But then I realized that, more important than this is having respect for each others' standards and helping one another maintain them.  My friends from high school do not share many of my standards, but they respect them and we still learn and grow from each other.  While there are obviously more to maintaining and building relationships, everything else builds from that mutual respect.
I am grateful that because of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I have the standards that I do.  They help me live righteously and consequently, I am happy. 

Tags: Friendship School Respect Standards

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