Evangelical Girl Problems

1-19-89 and 1-22-89

The January 19 post is a very short theological question, based on the evangelical idea of “being saved.” At this point in my education, I didn’t know that many other Christian don’t have this concept of “being saved” at all!

Is it true that once you are saved, you are always saved? For some reason, I have difficulty agreeing with that but it seems as if a lot of other people do believe that way.

For January 22 we have a heartfelt plea to God. I believe the context here was that a guy I had liked—who acted as if he also liked me—turned out to be just leading me on and had suddenly started dating someone else. In typical evangelical woman fashion, I berate myself for being angry and pray for help in understanding his behavior. Major eyeroll.

Dear Lord,

Help me to try to understand him. Help me to look beyond my own hurt and reach out to his. My anger threatens to surface but I don’t want to be mad at one of the best friends I ever had [in reality, that friendship only lasted a couple of months]. I don’t know why he finds it necessary to cut off such a close friendship and I don’t know how to handle it. Should I leave him alone but be available if he needs me? Or should I pursue our friendship? I long to gain back the closeness we had before, but I feel awkward around him now, and words fail as the hurt threatens to overcome me. Enable me to love him Lord, and not to burn with anger.

And a note back and forth with a friend about the situation, with some more evangelical-sounding advice:

Me: I feel like I am losing one of my best friends. We were so close before and I wanted to ask him why things have changed but he always gets sidetracked away from me 

Friend: Do it soon. Before it hurts to badly! Promise me! (Tonight?)

Me: Yes! I don’t think I really like him anymore but I do value his friendship.

Friend: Friendships are the most important they come before boyfriends/girlfriends. Repair the friendship or you may lose him all together.