on friendship

Friendship can be beautiful. Friendship can be painful. Friendships change, as we change and the other person changes. Sometimes our growth aligns; sometimes it doesn’t. When it doesn’t it can be hard, when we become two different people than we used to be. When we don’t laugh at the same things anymore or misunderstand each other. When one is stuck and the other is blossoming. When jealousy, bitterness, and competition rear their ugly heads. When there is an underlying tension that nobody wants to speak aloud.

Friendship is a hard thing, but it is a necessary thing. Without our friends, we cannot survive. We cannot be alone- that is not how our Creator made us to be. Alone we die, but together we thrive. Our friends help us find our way when we are lost, break through our walls when we’ve barricaded ourselves, lift us up when we are down. Without our friends, we are hopeless.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. ~Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Though we may grow distant from our friends at times, there is a deeper bond between us that will last- the friends that you haven’t talked to in ages that you can just pick up where you left off when you see them in person, the reconciliation of a friendship gone sour with a simple hug and knowing smile, the common enemy that brings us together, to support one another and fight the good fight.

Jesus is our friend- He is the best friend we will ever have. And even when we feel lonely, we can know that we are not alone. He sees every tear and knows every joy we experience. And He is right there with us when we are hurt, a shoulder to cry on. He knows us inside and out and loves us unconditionally, like our best friends do. Never take that for granted, that friendship. It is one of the truest blessings and most powerful pieces of Heaven we will ever get to experience on Earth. The heart of Jesus can be seen in our very best friends.

There will be growing pains, but don’t give up. You are loved.