The Lone Ranger and Tonto were in the desert. When 10,000 Indians attacked them from the north, the duo fled south. When 10,000 more Indians attacked them from the south, they fled east. When 10,000 more attacked them from the east, they fled west. When 10,000 more attacked them from the west, they were trapped on all sides. The Lone Ranger looked at Tonto and said, “What are we going to do?” Tonto answered, “What do you mean we, white man?”

Many years ago, there was a hit country song entitled “You Find Out Who Your Friends Are.” It talked about instances such as you running your car into a ditch, needing a couch, or having your well go dry. That’s when you find out who your friends are. It reminds me of something I once read: A true friend is someone who will walk in your door when everybody else is walking out.

Along these same lines, one of the most valuable lessons that I’ve ever learned is this: The more you deal with people who like you for who you are, the happier you’ll be in life. This is a lesson that can be applied to so many circumstances. Allow me to name just three examples from a long, long list.

Example #1: If you are single, don’t waste your time and energy chasing someone you have to jump through hoops to impress. I don’t care how desirable the person is or how much you long for them. The hard cold truth is that no matter what you do, you will probably never impress them anyway. And even if you do, you’ll have to keep up that standard of achievement as long as you are with them. As the old saying goes, “What you win them with is what you have to keep them with.” Remember that the highest ideal for love is unconditional love. Hold out for someone who loves you unconditionally for who you are.

Example #2: If you are looking for a job, try to find one where your boss appreciates what you bring to the table. Of course, I realize that we don’t always have the luxury of being selective about where we work. Still, though, you get the idea. Holding down your job is hard enough without you feeling like you have to prove yourself or earn your stripes every day. It’s maddening to work for someone who always seems to be looking for a reason to fire you or demote you.

Example #3: If you have a child who is involved in some kind of team sports, do your best to keep that child on teams where the child is a good fit. What I mean is, sometimes the team with the best winning percentage or the most successful coach isn’t right for your child. Does the coach share your standards of integrity? Does he or she share your goals for team sports? Can your child get along with the other players on the team? Can you get along with the other parents? Is your child’s talent level on par with the other members of the team? Again, I realize that sometimes you have no vote in the team for which your child plays. All I’m saying is that whenever you do have some sway in this department, use it to get your child on a team where he or she will be truly appreciated and valued. That makes for such a better experience all the way around.

My point in all this is that life is hard enough without you adding unnecessary “hard” to the mix. I don’t know why the Lord led me to write on this topic, but I’m guessing that someone reading this needed it. Are you that someone? Have you been knocking your brains out trying to impress or please someone you stand no chance of ever impressing or pleasing? Then cut your losses and move on. Are you calling some people “friends” who wouldn’t lose one minute’s sleep if you vanished off the face of the earth tomorrow? Then find yourself some new friends, some honest-to-goodness ones. Are you trying to “keep up with the Joneses” even though you can’t stand the Joneses and everything they represent? Then ask yourself why you are doing that and stop it. As I said, the more you deal with people who like you for who you are, the happier you’ll be in life. It’s such a shame that so many of us spend our lives riding with Tontos who aren’t worthy of all the time, energy, effort, money, loyalty, etc. we pour into them.