“Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family. ~Proverbs 18:24 (The Message Bible)

Finding “forever friends” is a rare treasure but not an impossible mission. One of the most important things in building forever friendships is learning to create healthy boundaries for yourself.

Take an honest look at your relationships, then divide them into three categories: (1) Inner Circle; (2) Middle Circle; (3) Outer Circle.

The first category of relationships is your “Inner Circle”. These relationships will be very few (usually 3 or less). These are the people with whom you can be “the real you”. They know you, understand you, and accept EVERYTHING about you. They laugh with you, cry with you, celebrate with you, and stand by you through difficult times. They always expect the best out of you, never judge you or condemn you, and are always willing to work out disagreements. THESE ARE YOUR FOREVER FRIENDS!

The second category of relationships is your “Middle Circle”. This group of people is made up of those you enjoy socializing with, but are guarded with. You can have fun with them, work on projects together, etc…, but understand that you can only share a limited amount of personal information with them. You usually enjoy the company of the people in this group; but “being yourself” many times causes problems in the relationship.

Finally, your “Outer Circle” is the group of people deemed “aquaintances”. These are people you work with, maybe go to church with, or socialize with on an occasional basis; but you NEVER share personal information with them.

By realizing where each person in your life “fits into” your “circle of relationships”, you will be able to properly assess each relationship and create healthy boundaries for yourself.

I’m not sure where this teaching originated. But since I implemented this concept into my life a few years ago, I have been able to sort through my relationships and create healthy boundaries for myself. I must admit: I sometimes try to allow people into my “inner circle” who haven’t yet proven themselves to be trustworthy enough to be there. Whenever I allow someone into my “inner circle” too soon, I always regret it!

In a “nut shell”, don’t move relationships from your “outer circle” to your “inner circle” too quickly. Allow time and prayer to help you understand which relationships are trustworthy and which ones aren’t.

Let me encourage you today: If you’ve been struggling with relationships, take a few moments to place each relationship into one of these categories. You might find you’ve overlooked someone faithful and “worthy” of being in your inner circle. Or you may need to move people out of your inner circle and trust God to place some “forever friendships” into your life!