Friendships

Over the past week, I've learned a thing or two about friendships... or I guess a better way to phrase that is that I've been more or less reminded of some things about friendships. Growing up, making friends just kind of happens. You share some of your Elmer's glue with someone on the first day of first grade and before you know it, you're still in contact with that person 18 years later. In the adult world, it's not that easy, or at least that's how it kind of seems. Now, I'm not talking about acquaintances but real friends...the good/the bad/ the ugly, the ones who will call you on things no one else will, the ones you can laugh and then cry with, the ones you can be really real with. I'm finding as life goes on and people get married, have kids, get jobs, etc... the dynamic changes, instead of the simple commonality of both needing some sort of adhesive for an art project, you gravitate towards the people who have the same passions, goals, and are in similar seasons of life with. And another thing about friendships... you don't really think about them a lot of times until you've lost one or faced a couple of bumps with one. It's been a tough week in the friendship arena for me, a time of reflection, a time of readjusting, and just a time of re-evaluating not only my friendships as they are currently, but also the type of friend I need/want to be. This has been a very selfish season in my life, and I just thank those friends who I was able to break down to, seek prayer from, laugh with, and just pour out my heart to as I've been processing all that's transpired over these past couple of months. I think overall, the biggest lesson I've learned is that it's very true what Solomon says in Ecclesiastes, "Two are better than one...if one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!" And I'm just so thankful for all those who have "helped me up" during this time.