A selfish friend puts themselves first in almost every situation. Their agenda always centers on what is best for them, not what is best for others. Instead of trying to make a positive impact on someone else's life, their self-content is always at the forefront. It is hard having a selfish friend. You give, and the other person always takes.
As a Christian, we are called to love others. It is a hard thing to endure a broken friendship when you are continually doing things for the other person. Some friends take advantage of kindness. Your kindness fuel's their laziness. A selfish friend attaches to you, not to prop you up, but to suck resources out of you.
Proverbs 17:17 NASB A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.
Can friendship be a one way street with a selfish friend?
Biblically, I don't think a friendship can survive with one person doing all of the work.
Proverbs 27:17 NASB Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.
To build each other up, we must all work together for the same common goal. That goal should be serving the Lord. When a friend is self-centered, they are not focused on Christ. If their focus was on Christ, they could not help but to reciprocate your kindness towards them.
Sometimes we have unrealistic expectations for people. Each person's spiritual walk may not be at the same pace. One thing I know for sure is that a spiritual walk bears fruit. If you do not see spiritual fruit from the other person, chances are they may be sitting at the starting line.
Getting consumed with life.
It is easy to get consumed with things that happen in our life. No doubt life is hard. We all have struggles that we must work through. Part of building Christ-like character in yourself is paying it forward. When others help us in our life, we should replicate their kindness towards us. I understand that you may never have the means to pay it forward to someone else fully. The good news is God knows your heart. He can see your efforts and the kindness that you show others.
If you find your self-being the selfish friend, it is not too late to save your friendship. Stop looking for the next hand out. Start focusing in on how you can show Christ's love to others. As the old saying goes “it is better to give than receive.” That statement is so true. When you show kindness to others, you will be surprised how good you feel inside.