From Elizabeth’s heart: One way to be respectful to your friends is sometimes to be scarce. There are a multitude of ways friends can communicate without having to be together physically. You can phone, text, email, use postal services… and especially prayer! As the proverbs teach us, “Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house, lest he become weary of you and hate you” (Proverbs 25:17), and “He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it will be counted a curse to him” (Proverbs 27:14).
Here;s how my friends and I approach each other. When we call on the phone we always ask, “Is this a good time to talk? Is everyone gone (kids to school, husband to work)”? And if it’s not a good time, then we say, “I’ll call back later,” or “Call me when it’s convenient for you”.
We also call before we stop by or drop in. There are no surprises. Everyone has their goals, projects, responsibilities, ministries, preparations for the family and the home. We all have our families to serve, our housework to take care of, our devotions to tend to, our ministries to prepare for.
We respect and support these undertakings, helping each other when and where we can… even if it sometimes means being scarce!
Read Sometimes We Need to Be Scarce on Elizabeth & Jim George.